Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover
by Melinda-chan
Summary: Chapter Seventeen uploaded! Kyo has met all kinds of alchemists since he got himself into the FMA world! But can he deal with the most craziest, dangerous and violent alchemist of them all? You know who I mean! R & R!
1. The Book

**Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover by Melinda-chan**

I was inspired to write this fic by a couple of crossover pics featuring Kyo. I thought this would work. This fic will contain manga spoilers from Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist. You have been warned.

As usual with a PG-13 rated story, this fic will contain violence, profanity and sexual references. There'll be nothing too graphic and most fans of Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist will be already used to them, but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

The Fruits Basket manga was created by Natsuki Takaya (1999) and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. The Fullmetal Alchemist manga was created by Hiromu Arakawa (2001) and distributed by Square Enix and Viz (in May). No character infringement is intended. All original characters were created by Melinda-chan. I should note that since I have not seen the animes most of this story will be based on the mangas. So if you notice any differences, that may be the reason. But if you still notice a mistake, please let me know. I'll be very grateful.

Now that is over with, let the story begin!

It all started for Kyo when he went into Shigure's room. He thought it would be the perfect time to sneak into Shigure's room since the dog was at the Main House, the rat Yuki was still at school for a School Council meeting, and Tohru was making supper for all of them. Yes, now was the perfect time to go into Shigure's room and see if he could find a book that could help him defeat Yuki.

If only he could find his way through the mess.

'I can't defeat Yuki when he's awake,' Kyo thought. 'I can't defeat him when he's asleep. There must be some way to defeat him!' He then looked at the boxes, bits of paper, pens, clothes and books scattered all over the room. How could Shigure work in a place like this? Kyo wondered. He kicked a box across the room.

Out of the box a book came out. It would change his life for the better or worse, depending on your point of view.

"What is this about?" Kyo asked himself. It was a leather-bound book with a picture of two snakes around a winged rod on its cover. He opened it.

"Nicolas Flamel?" Kyo said. "Never heard of him. Must be a very old author." He flipped through the pages. "It's not written in English. Could it be in French?" He went through the book. "I wonder what these symbols stand for?" He looked around the room. "Does Shigure have a dictionary?" He wandered around the room, trying to find one.

He could not find a single book to help him.

'Damn' Kyo thought. 'It looks like I have to figure this out by myself.' He continued to look through the pages. He concentrated on the pictures, many filled with strange symbols. Could this book be on magic?

'Could magic help me defeat Yuki?' Kyo wondered. 'If I could just read the words-.' He then saw a picture of a flame. 'Now that has to be 'Fire.' But does the triangle next to it mean the same thing?' He was so thinking so deeply about it that he failed to notice footsteps coming toward the door.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru's voice caused the orange-head to almost drop the book. Instead he clutched it at his chest. "What are you doing in Shigure-kun's room?" He looked at the book, searching for an answer.

"I was, ah, borrowing a book," Kyo said. 'That's true' Kyo thought. However, it then occurred to Kyo that Shigure probably wouldn't even miss the book. Besides, why would he have an old magic book in French anyway?

"Well, if Shigure-kun doesn't mind," Tohru said. "Speaking of Shigure-kun, he just called. He said that he'll be coming home soon. Sohma-kun should be home soon too." At that Kyo flipped some pages of the book.

"I see" Kyo said. "I'll get ready then." Tohru nodded and left. Kyo went through the book once again. The black-drawn symbols seem to be a bit bolder, as if luring him to discover their secrets.

Shaking his head, he decided to read the book more completely later (as if he could understand it more then). He had other things on his mind right now like a good hot meal. He took the book to his room, but all he could think were those symbols. The supper was unusually quiet, but nobody seemed to mind.

It was a good thing that there was a full moon that night since Kyo was able to read the book without a flashlight. He still couldn't read most of the words though. But since some English words are similar to their equivalent French ones, Kyo could understand a few words. For example, he assumed that "l'air" meant "air" which meant that the triangle with a line across it at the top symbolized air (which was correct). He recognized some of the more picturesque symbols like the sun and eagle, but the meanings of them escaped him. And what about the complex patterns later in the book, one which filled two pages?

'I really do need help' Kyo thought. 'First I need to know what I am reading. Next, I need to understand what I am reading.' He thought about it for a minute. 'I need to get a dictionary, and then I need to find someone that could help me.' For some reason, he did not think Shigure would be helpful even though he did find the book in his room. Just then an image of one of Tohru's friends came into his head.

'Could the psychic freak help me?' Kyo thought. 'It seem that she would know about this stuff.' Still the thought of asking Saki creeped him out. And he wasn't sure that he would want the answers she might give him.

"I shouldn't worry too much," Kyo said to himself. He glanced through the pages. The symbols seemed more alive now, as if they were dancing on the pages. He blinked, and they settled down. What was going on?

'I need sleep' Kyo thought. 'Yes that's what I need.' Blaming on what just happened to his tired eyes, he put the book under his head and fell asleep.

Above him, though, the stars looked a bit brighter.

End of Chapter One

In case you're wondering when Kyo will cross-over to the FMA world, just be patient. It'll occur very soon, I promise. If you have any questions and/or comments, you can e-mail at or at Please do not forget to review!

Next Chapter: Kyo the Alchemist


	2. Kyo the Alchemist

**Chapter Two of "Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

Note: This fic will contain manga spoilers from Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist. You have been warned.

Extra Note: As usual with a PG-13 rated story, this fic will contain violence, profanity and sexual references. There'll be nothing too graphic, and most fans of Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist will be already used to them, but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

The Fruits Basket manga was created by Natsuki Takaya (1999) and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. The Fullmetal Alchemist manga was created by Hiromu Arakawa (2001) and distributed by Square Enix and Viz (in May). No character infringement is intended. All original characters were created by Melinda-chan. I should note that since I have not seen the animes most of this story will be based on the mangas. So if you notice any differences, that may be the reason. But if you still notice a mistake, please let me know. I'll be very grateful.

Now that is over with, let the chapter begin!

"Kyo-kun! May I help you?" Shigure asked him. Kyo was at the door, holding the book. The orange-head showed him the brown-leathered book.

"Tell me about this book," Kyo demanded, putting the book up to his face. Shigure took the book from his hands and looked through it.

"Kyo-kun, do you know where you got this book?" Shigure asked.

"I actually got it from your room" Kyo replied. "I think it's on magic." Shigure looked down at the book again.

"I don't recall getting the book" Shigure replied. Kyo became shocked. "Or at least buying it. It looks interesting though."

"I think it's on magic," Kyo replied. "Do you know the meaning of it?"

"I know a bit of French" Shigure said. "It is the language of romance, after all." He looked at the various symbols on one page. "By the look of the book and the symbols, I say I may not be able to fully understand all of it."

"I thought so," Kyo said. "Anyway, the author's name is Nicolas Flamel. Do you know anything about him?"

"Kyo-kun, a lesson in French" Shigure told him. "It's pronounced 'Nicola' not 'Nicolas.' The 's' at the end of the word or name is not pronounced in French." An anger mark appeared on Kyo's head. "Don't give me that look! I do not recall a French author by that name. He's not a novelist so maybe that's why."

Kyo looked at the book in Shigure's hands. The symbols on the pages almost bounced at him. Shigure looked at him with concern.

"Kyo-kun?" Shigure said. Kyo snapped out of his trance. He then grabbed the book from his older cousin's hands.

"May I have this book for a while?" Kyo requested.

"I don't mind, but may I ask why you want it for?" Shigure asked him.

"I am just curious" Kyo lied. It was not totally false, but he did not want to tell Shigure the truth; it would sound too silly and he could tell Yuki, which would make it worse for Kyo to carry out his plan.

"Okay," Shigure nodded as he gave the book to him. Just as Kyo was about to turn toward the door, he left a hand on his right shoulder. "I do not mind you borrowing a book from my room, but next time ask me first, okay?" Shigure's voice was unnaturally deep. Kyo looked back and saw his cousin smiling. Kyo sweatdropped.

"Yes sir" Kyo said. Shigure was still smiling when he left. Kyo was so glad when he went inside his room. "Now I should write down some of the words from this book so I can look them up at school." He then jot down the words that he saw was common. It was then that there was a knock on the door. He got up and opened it.

"Kyo-kun! Breakfast is ready!" Tohru said. She then saw the book and the pieces of paper on his bed. "Are you studying something, Kyo-kun?"

"Oh yeah," Kyo said. "It's not for school."

"All right," Tohru nodded. She was too polite to inquire any further. "I have breakfast ready now."

"I'll be ready in a minute," Kyo said. Tohru nodded and left. Kyo went back to the piece of paper. He read it.

It says in modern French:

L'eau (Water)

Le feu (Fire)

La terre (Earth)

L'air (Air)

Le Grand Travail (Great Work)

L'or (Gold)

L'argent (Silver)

Le mercure (Mercury)

Le cuivre (Copper)

Le fer (Iron)

L'etain (Tin)

Le plomb (Lead)

Le poudre (Powder)

(Translations in English are for the sake of the readers, and not what was written on his paper).

He then put the piece of paper in a binder and, carrying it in his arms, went out of his room. After he left, a few pages of the book turned.

Kyo was at the school library now. He had one finger on a page of a Japanese-French dictionary while he used his other hand to write the Japanese translations.

'I'm done' Kyo thought as he put down his pen. Still a few questions remained. 'What is the 'Great Work'? Why is there so many references to the natural elements and metals?' Was the book an old chemistry book?

It was then that he saw a shadow over him. He felt something dark creep into him. He looked up and saw the source was no other than Saki Hanajima, the psychic freak herself.

"What do you want?" Kyo asked, rather rudely.

"It appears that you're translating words from a French book," Hanajima said. "I can be of assistance if you want it."

Kyo opened his mouth, but shut it again. He didn't want anyone else to know about the book- the exact reason he didn't know- but he suddenly realized that the psychic freak was probably the closest person that would know the subject of the book. Besides, she seems to know about French. He had nothing to lose. Why not?

"Do you know anything about magic a few centuries ago?" Kyo asked her.

"You got an old French book on magic?" Hanajima asked. Kyo nodded. "Do you know the name of the author?"

"His name is Nicolas-" Kyo pronounced it without the 's', remembering Shigure's counsel. "-Flamel. Do you recognize the name or what?" At that Hanajima sat down next to him.

"I guess you can say he specialized in magic," Hanajima told him. "Actually he specialized in alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Kyo said thinking. "But isn't that a type of magic?"

"It is in a way" Hanajima nodded. "Alchemists were interested in the mystical side of nature, as opposed to the physical side of nature. But alchemists use some scientific methods and principles in their work."

"So it's a mixture of magic and science?" Kyo asked.

"It's more toward the mystical side than the physical side" Hanajima replied. "But the alchemists and their works did have an impact on chemistry, and medicine as well." She paused. "This book…do you know the title of it?"

"I can't read French, as you should realize" Kyo replied. "Why do you care?"

"It could be a rare work by Flamel," Hanajima said. "His works are well-known, even today in the world. If the book you possess has not been seen since Flamel's time, it could be very valuable."

"You seem to know a lot about alchemy," Kyo noted.

"I have done research on different types of energy waves," Hanajima told him. "In my research I have come across studies by alchemists and those interested in alchemy. They believe that energy flows through the world in a circle. They also believe that this binds elements together."

"That explains why the book has so many circles in it" Kyo said. He then looked at the paper. "Do you know what it means by 'the Great Work?'"

"I believe that the 'Great Work' refers to the Philosopher's Stone" Hanajima replied. "Like most alchemists, Flamel was occupied with trying to make it."

"Philosopher's Stone? Is that the object that is supposed to turn stuff into gold?" Kyo asked her.

"Yes" Hanajima replied. "But the Philosopher's Stone is also supposed to give the user incredible power and long life. As you can imagine, it was coveted by many alchemists."

"Power, eh?" Kyo said. "That would be good to have." Hanajima then went closer to him.

"You know" she spoke in a very low voice. "If it was known that this book may contain the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone, many people will be after the book. You will need to be very careful, Kyo-kun."

"Like I'm going to let them take it from me," Kyo said. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"I was just wondering why you would be so curious in such a subject," Hanajima said.

"I'm just curious that's all," Kyo lied. "It would be nice if I could read the book in Japanese. I would like to know what I'm dealing with here."

"Flamel wrote a lot about alchemy," Hanajima said. "Even if he did not discover the Philosopher's Stone, he was probably close to making it. And he could have made other discoveries as well. You should be careful when handling anything from the book. It could be disastrous if you do not know what you're doing."

"That's why I want to translate these words," Kyo said. "I especially want to know about the first three. Their symbols appear a lot in the circles."

"The elements play a big part in alchemy" Hanajima said. "That is why it is dangerous not knowing what you're doing."

"I'm done anyway," Kyo said. "Do you have anything else?"

"Just heed my warnings" Hanajima told him. "I also noticed that your waves have been very quiet. That is why I wanted to speak to you for. Did you made peace with the Prince?"

"Yeah right" Kyo replied. "I am never going to stop from trying to defeat that idiot!"

"I see" Hanajima said. "Just like a cat and mouse." Kyo's hair almost stood in end. However, she walked away before he could respond.

'I wish that she would explain that more,' Kyo thought. 'At least she waited until I was finished with my writing.' Indeed he was satisfied with his work. He got the most common elements and metals down. He then thought about what Hanajima told him.

'If a circle can bind elements together, then perhaps I can-" Kyo then drew a triangle on the paper. He then drew a ringed circle- like the ones he saw in the book- around the triangle. He made certain that the ends of the triangle reached the circle. After that was done, he plucked a strand of his orange hair and put it on the circle.

His eyes widened when the circle started to flow. WHOOSH! A small flame then appeared. When it disappeared, the area of the circle was blackened and there was a long line of black ash in the middle.

'I can't believe it!' Kyo thought. 'It really worked!' He then thought a little further. 'If I can do this, then I can work this against Yuki.' A wicked idea came into his mind. 'I can do this!' And with that, he put the piece of paper in his binder and left.

"Kyo-kun, why are you so quiet today?" Tohru asked him. They were walking with Yuki back home.

"I was just thinking" Kyo said. Yuki looked at him.

"That's a start for you" Yuki said. Kyo looked back in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean, you damn rat?" Kyo demanded.

"It's supposed to mean exactly what I said, you idiot cat," Yuki said. An anger mark appeared on Kyo's head.

"You don't even know what I'm thinking!" Kyo said.

"Knowing you, you are probably thinking of another pathetic way to beat me," Yuki said.

"Shut up! I found another way to defeat you!" Kyo told him. "You wouldn't know what I'm going to do until it's too late."

"You are pathetic" Yuki said, sweatdropping.

"I found a way to beat you without laying a finger on you" Kyo said. "You just wait."

"Now I'm worried," Yuki said, sighing.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru sounded worried.

"Never mind," Kyo said. He said nothing the rest of the way. However, Tohru kept looking at him with concern. Yuki did not even look at him.

Kyo had just gone into his bedroom. He put his binder on his bed. He then saw the book, undisturbed.

"Maybe now that I translated a few words, I can understand a few symbols," Kyo said. He then opened his binder and got out the piece of paper with the translations.

'This looks like a whole list of symbols' Kyo thought. 'I should experiment.' And that's exactly what he did until Tohru came to his door.

"What's wrong, Yuki-kun?" Shigure asked. "Is something wrong with your place?" Yuki started at the cushions.

As for Kyo, he tried not to look at Yuki's place. He did not know if Yuki saw him put a piece of paper under the cushions where he normally sat. Kyo also wondered whether his words spoken earlier might have caused him to be a little suspicious. Nonetheless, he was relieved when Yuki finally sat down.

"Well, Yuki-kun" Shigure said. "What is wrong with you? You seem to be a bit more stressed than usual."

"It's just what a certain idiot said to me," Yuki said. Kyo felt red in his face but did not yell at him like usual.

"Oh well, Yuki-kun, you just have to let it go," Shigure said. "You cannot take every word seriously. Que sera, sera- 'What will be, will be.' You just have not let it bother you if the person does not have the means to back it up." At that, Yuki smirked. Kyo hunched his shoulders, knowing the smirk was meant for him. He looked at the place where Yuki was sitting, wondering when the effect of the piece of paper was going to show up.

It did not take long to do so.

"So, Kyo-kun, why have you been so quiet?" Shigure asked. "I swear that you have reached enlightenment after you have borrowed that book from me. If that book is the reason, I would love to have it back."

"They did fight before we got here," Tohru said.

"Oh," Shigure sounded disappointed. "Well, if that's not the reason, maybe we-" The smell of smoke caused him to look at Yuki's direction. "Yuki-kun!"

"Sohma-kun!" Tohru yelled. Now Kyo looked at him. He got a shock.

Yuki was literally covered in smoke.

"Ah…ah…" Yuki said, too stunned to say anything more.

"Yuki-kun, get up now!" Shigure ordered. The man got up to help him.

"Something to put out the smoke!" Tohru yelled. She looked all over the table and saw a flask at Shigure's side of the table. She grabbed it and went to Yuki.

As for Kyo, he was simply amazed. Not only did it work even under concealment but also it worked very well. Kyo figured that as long as he wrote it on a flammable material, it would work. He was also impressed that it did not start smoking immediately. No doubt if the cushions were thinner, the effects would have noted sooner. Still he was amazed by the results.

SPLASH! The small of sake must have roused Yuki from his smoke-induced daze because he immediately got up.

"AHHHHH!" Yuki screamed. Shigure grabbed him and pulled him away from the table. The lighter grey-head was too dazed to push him away. Meanwhile Tohru was using the rest of the sake to put out the smoke.

"Take the cushion away!" Kyo yelled. Tohru too was looking dazed, so he got up and grabbed it. He burned his hands in the process. There was now a rectangular piece of blackened paper on the floor.

"Ah! What is that?" Tohru asked as she looked down on it.

"Yuki-kun, are you better now?" Shigure asked him.

"I think I am okay now" Yuki replied. "But what happened?"

"That is a good question," Shigure said. He then looked at the floor. "What is that, Tohru-kun?"

"It looks like a black square!" Tohru said.

"I never saw that before" Shigure said. He attempted to take it but he quickly pulled his hand away. "Oooohhhh! Hot!"

"Be careful, Shigure-kun!" Tohru said.

"You were the one responsible for this! Tell me now!" Yuki demanded Kyo.

"What!" Kyo said. "Why do you blame me for this?" 'I did it though,' Kyo thought.

"You told me that you were going to get me!" Yuki said. "I didn't think you would be this stupid to pull off a trick like that!"

"What do you mean 'stupid,'" Kyo said. "I bet you wouldn't think of something like that!"

"Aha! So it was YOU!" Yuki said, pointing an accusing finger at him. It was then that Kyo realized that Yuki had set up a trap, and that he fell for it.

"Kyo-kun, did you really did that?" Tohru asked in horror.

"I didn't expect it to work that well!" Kyo tried to defend himself.

"As much as I admire what you did, please don't try to burn down my house," Shigure said. Yuki coughed.

"You stupid cat!" Yuki scolded. "You could have burned the house down!"

"I didn't do that, did I?" Kyo yelled. One could almost see cat ears coming out of his head.

"Now wait a minute. Calm down, Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun" Shigure said.

"Why should I calm down? He's the one that started this!" Yuki responded.

"Sohma-kun! Your clothes are covered in smoke!" Tohru said. Yuki looked down at his shirt. His perfect, white shirt was now a smoky black.

"You ruined my clothes too! I'll make you pay for that!" Yuki then shot an evil glare at Kyo's direction. "I can't wear this anymore! I have to change!" At that, Yuki left to go to his bedroom.

"All's well that ends well, I suppose," Shigure said. "Though seriously, Kyo-kun, I don't want you to do that again. It's not that easy to get smoke off the walls, and remember, Yuki-kun has asthma."

'I know that' Kyo thought. He then felt guilty. He did not want to kill Yuki, just defeat him. But how could he do that without killing him?

"Well, now, that is over with, we can go back to eating" Shigure said. Kyo sighed. Tohru still did not look comfortable enough to see him in the eye. Kyo knew that if he was going to use alchemy to defeat Yuki, he would have to do it without hurting or killing him, preferably away from Tohru.

"You know I always wondered what smoked rice would taste like" Shigure continued to say as he went down at the table. Kyo and Tohru did the same. As they ate, Kyo wondered what else he could learn from the book.

It was not a full moon but Kyo brought a flashlight to the roof. With the notepad and the pen in his right hand, Kyo skimmed the pages of the book, jotting down more words and sketching diagrams. He soon realized that most of the symbols have one thing in common.

'All of these circles have an element symbol in them,' Kyo thought. On one big page there was a whole group of symbols. These were not the simple symbols like in the first hundreds of pages. This looked like complicated work, perhaps too complicated even if Kyo could understand most of the words. 'L'Histoire du Grand Travail' was the title, but that was as far as Kyo could read. He shut the book.

'I got to find a way to get rid of Yuki without killing him or without anyone watching what I'm doing,' Kyo thought. He then put his head on the book and fell asleep.

He dreamed that there were five circles- two at the top, one in the middle, and two at the bottom. All of the circles were connected by a line that when done, formed two triangles. The top one was right side up and the other was upside down. The symbol glowed.

All of a sudden Kyo felt himself traveling through the symbol. He did not felt anything beyond that. No rushing wind, no feeling of motion, and no feeling of exertion in his body, nothing. Yet he knew that he was going somewhere, but where exactly?

He then saw a circle coming at him. Or was he coming at it? It didn't matter, because the force pushed him right into the circle. A blinding white light appeared. And then…

Kyo woke up and immediately went to the book. He spent a full half hour slipping through it. He then scratched his orange head.

'I don't get it' Kyo thought. 'Where did I go in that dream? I remember going through the circle like it was some kind of portal! Wait a minute! I know how to get rid of Yuki, without hurting or killing him! I can just make him disappear!' He then began drawing. After he was done, he plucked a strand of his hair. He carefully put it on the symbol. A white light appeared and his orange strand disappeared.

It worked!

Kyo cackled like a madman. He had discovered a perfect way to defeat Yuki and he did not have to left a finger to do it! He knew what to do.

Little did he know that he would literally be in a world of pain very soon.

"What are you planning to do now, you stupid cat?" Yuki asked. Kyo had led him outside.

"I saw something that I thought you should see" Kyo said.

"This better not be another of your traps" Yuki cautioned. "At least my death will be mourned." Kyo tried not to look angry as he watched the grey-haired boy walk all over the backyard. "Are you sure that you saw something?"

"I am positive!" Kyo replied. He kept looking over the patches of grass on the ground. The paper had to be under one of them.

However, he noticed that Yuki was avoiding stepping on the patches.

"Okay, I am freaking out! I don't see anything but dirt and grass!" Yuki said.

"I didn't say it was on the ground," Kyo told him.

"Aha! So it is a trap!" Yuki said. "You find it for me then, and then I shall have a look at it."

Damn! That dirty rat! Realizing that he had no choice but to comply now, Kyo carefully picked up every patch of grass hoping that it would not activate the circle.

"Now that's strange," Kyo said. "I swore I did see something."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Yuki asked, less accusing than before.

"I did!" Kyo almost screamed. He then stepped onto a small bundle of dirt. It was then that he realized that he also digged up mounds of dirt as well as grass.

CRUNCH!

"Ahh-ahh!" Yuki said as he saw white light envelope Kyo. The orange-head could only stand and hold the book, notepad and pen in his right arm as an incredibly force took hold of him. Through the white light, Kyo could see Yuki running toward him. However, it was too late for him to do anything.

For all purposes, Kyo was no longer there.

End of Chapter Two

Well, I am sure that my readers would know where Kyo is going next. This is going to be fun. Below are a few notes that should help you in this story. And do not forget to review!

Nicolas Flamel really did exist. He lived during the 14th century in France and was reputed to create the Philosopher's Stone from an ancient book called "The Book of Abraham the Jew" (which was promptly lost after his death). This was supposed to be the source of his vast wealth though documents proved he was a very good businessman. Legends about him abound, including one that says that thanks to the Stone, Nicolas and his wife Pernille are alive today among us mortals. One thing we do know is that his grave or his possessions have not been left in peace. In a desire to find his secret, people had attempted to consecrate his tomb and go through his possessions. Today, only his documents remained of his possessions. A bookseller by trade, he really devoted all his energy to alchemy. Even if he did not find the Philosopher's Stone, he probably came close to it.

The official symbol on Ed's State Alchemist certificate, which looks like a monster and a circle around it, is called the Flamel Symbol. Though the exact reason is not known for the name, it's probably because of Nicolas Flamel's legendary reputation as an alchemist, making his name synonymous with alchemy. Flamel's works would likely be known in Amestris, which would make Kyo's adventures in that land very interesting to say the least.

The caduceus (the symbol that appears on the front of Kyo's book) is the actual ancient symbol of alchemy. It was first used as a symbol of Mercury (Hermes in Greek), the god of alchemy, medicine and swiftness (among other things). The intertwining snakes represent medicine, the wings represent swiftness, and the rod represent power. Today, it is mainly used as a symbol for medicine.

The symbol on the back of Ed's jacket and on Al's left shoulder plate (the black snake and cross symbol) is an adaptation of the original caduceus. The reason for this change is probably because the original caduceus is an actual logo- it's the official symbol of the Red Cross and also used in some hospitals. You can also find it on the front of some medical books as well. The original caduceus in Kyo's book would mark it as a book of alchemy in this story. (Interestingly enough, a crucified snake is used as a symbol in alchemy for volatilization, which makes sense since Ed is known for releasing steam).

As any Furuba fan would know, the cat was tricked by the mouse into missing God's banquet, so it could not be part of the Zodiac. So there is no year, month or hour assigned to the Cat. Hence, the phrase "Year of the Cat" means a year that'll never come, or a year that never existed.

I hope that these notes are informative, if not useful. I'll be planning to add more notes as needed. See you at the next chapter!

Next Chapter: Kyo's Arrival and the Glass Alchemist


	3. Kyo's Arrival and The Glass Alchemist

****

Chapter Three of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Correction: I incorrectly stated "le poudre" instead of "la poudre." "Powder" in French is a feminine noun. I apologize for the error.

Note: This fic will contain spoilers from the Fruits Basket manga and the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. You've been warned.

Extra Note: This fic is rated PG-13 or Teen. This fic will contain violence, profanity and a few sexual references. There'll be nothing too graphic and most fans of Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist would already be used to them, but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

This is the first chapter that takes place in the Fullmetal Alchemist world. I know more about Fruits Basket than I do with Fullmetal Alchemist so I might make some mistakes. Please kindly tell me and I will eternally be grateful.

Now that is over with, let the chapter begin!

The last thing Kyo saw before the white light swallowed him was Yuki running toward him.

And now…

Kyo wasn't sure where he was now…

As for now, the only thing he could see was whiteness and the book in his hands. At least he thinks it's in his hands.

The fact is, except for his sight, all his other senses- hearing, taste, smell, touch- all of them were absolutely gone. He knew that a great force was moving him, but he could not feel it.

All of a sudden he saw the book, notepad and pen fly out of his hands. If he had a mouth, he would have screamed. Instead he tried to will himself to follow his precious possessions. The force complied, but Kyo could not feel it pushing him. This was even worse than the dream. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he couldn't lose Shigure's book.

He then saw a white circle ahead of him. He remembered about his dream. Was it the portal? It really didn't matter, since all his materials were going to it.

The force then pushed him toward the circle. He saw a white light and then-

MOO! Kyo opened his eyes. He felt something hard under his head. He raised his head and became eye-to-eye with a cow.

'H-Haru?" Kyo asked. It was then that he realized that the cow had an udder and no jewelry. It was just an ordinary cow.

MOO! The cow uttered. Kyo backed away on the grass. One never knows with cows.

"Daisy! Daisy!" a man yelled. He held a pitchfork in his right hand. "Did you found what fell from the sky? Oh my!" He walked toward Kyo. "Are you all right, son?" The orange-head took his things and got up.

"I think so" Kyo replied. He moved his head and legs just to make sure. "All my body parts seem intact." He then looked at the man. "Where am I?"

"You're in my field," the man gruffly said. Kyo stared at him for a second.

"That's obvious," Kyo said. "I mean where in the world am I?"

"I see" the man said. "It's not like every day you see someone fall from the sky. Why don't you come with me to my home? I'll answer your question there." Kyo shrugged. Why not? He thought.

MOO! Daisy uttered again. The man turned to his cow.

"Now, Daisy, go back to the rest of the herd" the man said. At once the cow mooed again before the man lightly tapped her with the pitchfork. The cow started walking back.

"By the way, my name is George," the man said.

"Ah Kyo," the teen spoke. He then bowed. This made the man frown.

"Now you don't have to do that" the man said.

"It's the custom to bow where I come from" Kyo explained.

"I see" George spoke. "Well let's going," Kyo agreed.

It was not long before Kyo saw a red barn.

"Is that yours?" he asked him.

"Yep. That's my barn. I put all my cows in it when they are not outside" the man explained. "The house next to it is where me and my wife lives."

"Oh," Kyo said. It looked like a well-kept wooden house.

"Joanna!" the man named George yelled. "You wouldn't believe what came out of the sky!"

"What do you mean a 'what?'" Kyo said, feeling a little miffed.

A young, blonde-haired woman came out of the house. She had a somewhat dirty apron on her brown dress. Kyo turned a bit red when he realized she was showing her second trimester a little.

"Oh my God!" the woman exclaimed. "He got orange hair!"

"His name is Ky-o," the man told his wife. "Give me a drink, dear."

"Ya want tea, Ky-o?" Joanna asked him.

"Uh sure" Kyo replied. She smiled and then went back to the house.

"Not to be rude, but are you having a child?" Kyo asked George as they walked inside.

"Yep" the man replied with pride. "It'll be our first child."

"Congratulations!" Kyo said.

"Thank you" the man said. "I don't suppose you got children?"

"Oh no!" Kyo replied. "I mean I can have children, as far as I know, but for the time being, no."

"Maybe you'll be lucky one day and find yourself a good woman and settle down," George suggested.

"Maybe," Kyo said, not knowing what to say next. A few minutes later, Joanna arrived with the tea tray.

"I got the tea ready," the woman said. "We can go to the main room, dear." The tray had three cups of tea on it.

"Let's go now," George said. "We can talk there."

Kyo noticed when he sat down in the room, there was no lights, no TV, not even a radio. He then saw what appeared to be a kerosene lamp on a small table in front of him.

"Um, do you have any electricity?" Kyo asked.

"You must be from the city," George said. "We got no electricity here."

"I see" Kyo replied. He then looked down at his book. "Do you know anyone that can read French?"

"I'm not sure," the man admitted. "What do you have there?"

"It's a book on alchemy" Kyo replied. "It was written by Nicolas Flamel."

"Now that name sounds familiar," the man said. "You interested in becoming a State Alchemist?"

"A State Alchemist?" Kyo sounded surprised. "You mean your government hires alchemists?" The couple looked at each other.

"You really don't know where you are, son" George said. "You're in Amestris."

"A-mes-tris?" Kyo sounded each syllable. "I never heard of it."

"Are you going to drink my tea or not?" Joanna asked impatiently.

"Oh yeah! The tea!" Kyo then picked it up and took a sip of it. He almost spit it out.

"What's wrong with it?" Joanna asked. "Did I made it too strong?"

"No" Kyo said. "It's fine." He then looked into the tea cup. 'I can't taste it. What's wrong with me?' Kyo thought.

"You know, if you want to meet a State Alchemist, there is one in a nearby village" the man said. "His name is Tim Marcoh. He's semi-retired now, but he should be able to help you in some way."

"Thank you so much," Kyo said. He got up and bowed. "I'll go there at once."

"Just go north. It's a small village so you will probably have to look for it. You should try to control your bowing though," George said.

"I have to keep that in mind," Kyo said. He put down the tea and grabbed his utensils. "I will go now. You don't suppose he would be able to give me a place to stay?"

"Oh, I suppose he would be able to do that," the man replied. "You planning to become his apprentice?"

"No, I just want to go back home" Kyo replied.

"You fell from the sky as I recall," George said. "And I saw a white light- you mean that you came through the Gate?"

"If you mean the portal, yeah" Kyo replied.

"Well, I wonder what the people at Central City would think of this" George said to his wife. He then looked at Kyo. "Are you leaving right now?" He saw that Kyo was preparing to leave.

"You said that the village was to the north?" Kyo asked him.

"Yes. You going now?" George asked.

"I'm going now" Kyo replied. "I want to go back home." He then opened the door. All of a sudden a bunch of cats came in.

"Well, I'll be" the man said. "Fluffy came back!"

"Eh?" Kyo said as the cats all gathered around him.

"Looks like Fluffy has some friends with her," Joanna said. "I'll go feed her and her friends." She then got up and went to the kitchen.

"They seem to be attracted to you" George said. Kyo looked down.

"It has always been like this" Kyo said, not knowing what else to say. "I'm going to go now."

"Just be careful, son" the man said. Kyo then walked outside.

"Joanna, the cats left with him," George told his wife as she returned with a plate of scraps.

"I wonder why" she wondered.

"I don't know" George said. "But I have a feeling he's no ordinary kid."

"Get off me! Not my hair! Ow!" Kyo's voice caused an old woman to stop sweeping her front stairs. She saw an orange-haired young man being tackled by cats. A big grey one even was sitting on his head.

"May I help you, young man?" the woman asked.

Kyo looked around to see the old woman. He now had a chance to ask his question.

"Do you know where, ah, Marcoh-san is?" Kyo asked.

"He left with an officer" the woman replied. "Do you really need him.

"Well yeah. Maybe not" Kyo replied. "Are there any other alchemists around here?"

"There is one more but he has been retired for a very long time" the old woman said. "He lives in an old house close to the village. He's quite aloof but I'm sure he'll help you." Kyo was busy trying to get the cats off him.

"All right," Kyo replied, once he managed to clear a way for him through the cats. "So where does he live?"

"I shall show you," the woman said. "Follow me." So Kyo did.

More cats joined much to Kyo's annoyance, on their journey. The woman noticed this.

"Cats seem to have an attraction toward you," she said.

"I know" Kyo said. He then saw a big, wooden house with a porch at the front. "Is that where he lives?"

"Yes" the old woman said. "Lawrence Boylen! Someone wants to see you!"

Immediately the door opened. A great brown hound came out, scaring all the cats away. Kyo and the woman went onto the porch to meet him.

The man was indeed an old man- he had white hair but all of it was on the sides of his head. He adjusted his glasses.

"May I help you Mrs. Smith?" he asked her.

"This young man will like to speak to you" Mrs. Smith said. "I'll be off now." And with that she left Kyo with the man.

"May I help you?" the man now asked Kyo. The orange-head looked perplexed at first.

"I-I would want some help please" Kyo said, feeling a little nervous. He then brought up the book so that Boylen could look at it.

"Come in," Boylen said after gazing at the book for a few seconds. Kyo walked in and removed his shoes.

"I noticed you got a dog," Kyo said, looking back.

"Buddy's a loyal friend," Boylen said with affection. "He has been a great affection since my wife died."

"Oh I'm sorry," Kyo said.

"It has been a while," the man said. "I guess our marriage wasn't meant to be." Kyo offered no reply, not knowing what to say next. "Anyway, come with me. I got to show you something."

"This looks like a laboratory, an old one," Kyo said when he entered the room.

"It's my laboratory," the man said with pride. "Or I should say, it was my laboratory. I no longer use it as such." He then saw Kyo looking curiously at the glass beakers, test tubes and flasks on the table. "I see that you have not seen a lab like this before."

"This is almost like the science lab at school!" Kyo said while holding a flask. "Do you do chemistry too?" At that Boylen laughed.

"My son, I am only an alchemist. I did what most alchemists tried to do- make the Philosopher's Stone, and did what the government told me to do. Fortunately that was not often. I retired before the troubles begin," Boylen said. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Kyo" the orange-head said. "Kyo Sohma, but people call me Kyo."

"Ah," Boylen nodded. "Kyo, are you interested in becoming a State Alchemist?"

"State Alchemist?" Kyo said.

"State Alchemist, National Alchemist, either one is fine," the man said. He then saw the puzzlement on Kyo's face. "You do know what that mean?"

"I'm not from A-mes-tris" Kyo explained. "I'm from somewhere else." He wondered if the man would believe him if he told him the truth.

"So you came all the way to Amestris to study alchemy?" the man asked. Kyo shrugged. "That's fascinating. Amestris is a great place for alchemists- you'll always find a job here. In fact, without alchemy, Amestris wouldn't exist."

"Do you know about alchemy outside your country?" Kyo asked.

"Why of course! All alchemists know about other alchemists that lived in other places," Boylen then nodded. "Many great alchemists came from other lands- Egypt, China, Arabia, England, Germany, France-"

"Speaking of France, can you read French?" Kyo asked him.

"I have not received any education in French" Boylen answered. "But I might be able to make an estimate. Many English words were French in origin."

"Can you at least tell me what some of the symbols are?" Kyo asked him.

"Of course! A lot of alchemists use symbols in their work," the man said. Kyo plopped the book on the table. Boylen adjusted his glasses again.

"I know the symbols for the elements and metals" Kyo told him. "I got help from a dictionary on that. But I do wish to know about some of the symbols I didn't do." He then flipped through the pages.

"That's a fascinating book," Boylen said. "Where did you get it?"

"From my cousin Shigure" Kyo replied.

"Is he an alchemist?" Boylen asked him.

"No, a writer" Kyo replied. He then heard Shigure's "voice" correcting him. "I mean, a novelist."

"I see" the man said. He then looked at the pages Kyo had on display.

"Do you know the meaning of these?" Kyo asked him, pointing toward a picture of the sun and moon.

"Mercury and sulphur," Boylen answered. "Those two metals are the most used in chemical alchemy."

"And this eagle?" Kyo asked.

"That represents volatility" the man said. He saw Kyo's puzzled face. "It means the ability to evaporate quickly."

"Oh," Kyo said. "What does this symbol mean?"

"The two-headed dragon also means mercury," Boylen said.

"Why is it two-headed?" Kyo asked.

"It represents the liquid and solid states of mercury," the man said. He then read the words on the other page. "I cannot read most of the words but I know that this book must be valuable."

"Yeah. It got lots of things in it" Kyo said. "I don't know if I'll be able to know everything in it."

"Perhaps it'll help if I know the name of the author" Boylen said. Kyo went to the first page of the book.

"Nicolas Flamel," Kyo answered. "I heard he was an alchemist." He then turned back at the man. "Boylen-san?"

Boylen looked like he was about to turn to stone. His face was white as marble. His hands were shaking.

"Is something wrong, Boylen-san?" Kyo asked, feeling worried.

"Give me the book!" Boylen demanded.

"Huh?" Kyo said. Just then he had to dodge a blow from the now-crazed alchemist. "What are you-"

"Give me that book!" Boylen roared. Kyo had to do some quick moves to avoid the man's arms.

"What are you doing?" Kyo asked out loud.

"Flamel's book…the Philosopher's Stone…be very rich…" Boylen said. Kyo suddenly realized what he was saying.

'He wants to take the book from me!' Kyo thought in alarm.

"The book…the book…" Boylen's voice sounded unnatural now. Kyo backed away to the other side of the table, not sure what to do now.

"Wait! What do you want from the book?" Kyo yelled, but Boylen just took a pair of gloves from his pockets.

"I got you now," the man said. Kyo saw there were symbols on them. One of them was a big, black triangle-fire!

"What are you planning to do?" Kyo asked, putting the book closer to himself.

"I am Lawrence Boylen, the Glass Alchemist," the man said. "My specialty is transmutating combustible materials into glass. As you probably know, glass is made by putting silicon and other elements under intense heat. I can do the same thing but I only need carbon and oxygen and heat, which I can get from my combustion gloves. And now-" He then got a few objects that looked like little beads. "I can show you my power!"

The next thing Kyo knew he was dodging little flying glass pellets. He immediately ducked down and scuttled his way underneath the table. Boylen quickly went to where Kyo was.

"Where are you, Kyo?" the man called out.

'What am I suppose to do? I'm with a madman that can turn anything into glass!' Kyo thought. 'Wait a minute! I know what I can do! If I can just get my notepad and pen…'

"Maybe he went under the table," Boylen said. He looked under the table. Kyo took this opportunity to get up from under the table and grabbed his notepad and pen. All of a sudden he had to jump onto the table to avoid a shower of glass pellets. Little holes appeared on the wall closest to him.

'That was too close' Kyo thought. He then saw that some of the flasks still had some liquid in them. Could they help him?

"I see you now!" Boylen said. A stream of glass pellets caused Kyo to fall back on the floor again.

'I got to do it now!' Kyo thought as he quickly drew a triangle and two circles to form a ring on a piece of paper and tore it from the notepad. He then thought about something and drew another triangle over the other one.

"I see you again!' the madman said. Kyo grimaced. He had only one chance to use the paper in his hands. But how would he do it?

Kyo saw Boylen looking above him over the table. The orange-head immediately stood up, clenching the paper.

"You think you can stop me with a piece of paper?" the madman said. He then scooped up a bunch of the black beads in his hands. "I can take you down right now! I can transmutate anything into glass!" At that, Kyo saw a spearlike form in his hands. Kyo became alarmed.

He kicked over the table, with Boylen on it.

CRASH!

Not only did Boylen fall down but also did everything else that was on the table. Flasks, test tubes, beakers- almost every glass container shattered onto the floor, spilling their contents.

"What did you did to my stuff?" the man said in outrage.

"What do you mean by that? You're the one that wants to steal the book from me!" Kyo yelled.

"Oh yes the book," Boylen said as he adjusted his glasses. Kyo saw that the man still had a piece of the glass spear in his right hand. "I got you now!" He then ran at Kyo with the spear thrusted out.

Kyo did what came first into his mind- he threw the paper at him. Boylen got out of the way when he realized it had an alchemical symbol on it.

However, once it touched the ground, the paper started to smoke. It made the liquid that was splattered on the ground catch on fire. The fire was blazing hot, for Boylen's face soon became covered with sweat.

"We got to get out of here!" Boylen said in great alarm. "One of the flasks contain liquid nitroglycerin!"

"Liquid nitroglycerin?" Kyo said, though he had a feeling it wasn't a good thing.

"Nitroglycerin is one of the main ingredients of dynamite," Boylen explained. Needless to say, Kyo quickly tried to find the way to the door.

"Give me the book!" Boylen said as he attempted to grab it from Kyo's hands. The orange-head had to swipe him away.

"Your life is far important than a book!" Kyo yelled.

"But it's Flamel's book! I could get eternal life!" Boylen argued.

"The smoke is getting to your brain!" Kyo said. Just then they heard a sizzling sound. A clear flask was bubbling on the floor.

All of a sudden the flask shook like a bomb was going to go off. Kyo didn't have enough time to escape before the liquid nitroglycerin got heated enough to cause a massive explosion.

BOOM! The explosion rocked the house, causing Kyo to crash right through the door. As soon as Kyo regained his composure, he looked back at the door.

"Boylen-san!" Kyo yelled. "BOYLEN-SAN!" As much as he hated him now, the thought of leaving the old man in the inferno was too much.

"The book…" Boylen said from the darkness. Kyo reacted in time for his fist to make contact with Boylen's forehead. The man simply fell onto the floor again.

"I'm getting out of here" Kyo said and without looking back, walked down the hallway, put on his shoes and went out the door. A group of people and cats went to him.

"We heard a loud blast! And then we saw smoke coming out! What happened? Where's Mr. Boylen?" a man inquired.

"The laboratory's on fire" Kyo said. "As far as I know he's still alive." He then walked away, carrying the book in his arm.

"Wait! Are you going to stay and help him?" a woman said to him.

"Ha! People like him are too crazy to die like that! Besides, I need someone who would actually help me!" Kyo said. At that, he went away, the horde of cats following him.

"'Tis a strange boy" the woman said.

"Aye," an old man said. "His orange hair and the way the cats follow him. Do you think he might be a homunculi?"

"Oh you really believe in them do you?" the woman said laughing.

"Maybe not, but he's sure a strange boy," the man said. The woman nodded. Just then men with oxygen masks carrying buckets of water came into the house.

"What a day" Kyo said. The sun was almost at the horizon. The sky was filled with pink and blue colours. The cats assembled around his feet.

'I can't believe this really happened to me,' Kyo thought. He then remembered Hanajima's words, 'If it was known that this book contain the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone, many people will be after the book.' He looked at the book. Did it really contain the secret of the Philosopher's Stone? If so, could it help him get back home?

It was now nighttime. There was a full moon out, so Kyo could see at least faintly the pages of the book.

'I got to find someone that can help me understand this book without turning psycho on me,' Kyo thought. He then shut the book. He didn't feel tired, but he knew that he had to rest. He decided to put the book on the ground and lay his head on it. That was the cue for the cats to gather around him, providing a blanket for him. As he closed his eyes, he thought about the one thing that could have made his trip even worse.

At least Kagura didn't go with him.

End of Chapter Three

Thank you for all your reviews! I really like the fact that my story is being reviewed by so many different people! The Fruits Basket manga was created by Natsuki Takaya (1999) and is distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. The Fullmetal Alchemist manga was created by Hiromu Arakawa (2001) and is distributed by Square Enix and Viz (very soon). I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Please do not forget to review!

Next Chapter: The Midas Alchemist


	4. The Midas Alchemist

Chapter Four of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Note: This fic will contain spoilers from the Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist mangas. You've been warned.

Extra Note: This fic is rated PG-13 or Teen. This story will contain violence, profanity and a few sexual references. There'll be nothing too graphic, and most readers of Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist will be already used to them but for some readers, reader discretion is advised.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I'll be having day surgery on May 11 so you may not see Chapter Five right away! I'll still be writing, but I may not be able to go out in a while and I can't upload without going out. It may take a couple of weeks to recover (though I hope not). In any case, I'll try to have two chapters instead of one to compensate. I'll reply to all questions and comments and even reveal a spoiler! Just be patient, okay?

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"I should be hungry by now," Kyo said. The sun had risen and the cats were walking beside him. Kyo scourged the nearby woods for any sign of food. It was then when he observed some of the cats going off in another path.

'Hmm…?' Kyo thought. He decided to follow them.

It was then that Kyo saw something unusual.

"A golden statue? Right here in the woods?" Kyo said to himself as he ran up to it.

It was definitely a pure golden statue- there was no sign of any other metal or jewel on it. Kyo touched its hat. The hat bended against his thumb.

'It's so soft' Kyo thought. Could it really be all gold?

"Who made this? It looks like a real man!" Kyo said to himself. He saw the cats looking across the path. He then looked up ahead where they were staring at.

'Another one?' Kyo thought. He ran up to it. He pressed his finger against its coat. It pressed in.

"This metal is very soft. Could it really be gold?" Kyo wondered out loud.

"Of course it's gold! Gold in its purest form is one of the softest metals there is!" a man's voice spoke out. Kyo saw a brown-haired man with a walking stick looking at him. Kyo noticed he was wearing golden gloves.

"Who are you?" Kyo asked.

"That's what I want to know," the man said. "Are you a traveler?"

"Uh yeah" Kyo said. He then looked at the book. "Do you know anything about alchemy?"

"Of course I do!" the man said. "I'm Aurius d'Orc, the Midas Alchemist."

"Midas Alchemist?" Kyo said. "What do you mean by 'Midas Alchemist?'"

"You saw those golden statues? Well I made them," Aurius told him. Kyo became astounded.

"That's amazing! I heard that alchemists seek to make gold from other substances. Did you discover a way to make gold yourself?" Kyo asked him.

"It's not complicated," Aurius then smiled. "Why don't you come with me to my house? I can answer all your questions there." Kyo shrugged. Why not? What could someone who already knew how to make gold try to hurt him for?

"A golden house?" Kyo said as he followed the man to his place. His eyes were lit up in amazement. Even the cats looked impressed.

"Yes I created it myself," Aurius said proudly.

"Is the inside of the house made of gold too?" Kyo asked as he went to the door, examining it.

"Oh, not everything in the house is gold," Aurius told him. "Come in." At that, Kyo went inside, leaving his shoes at the golden porch.

"As you can see, I have devoted my entire life to metallurgical alchemy," Aurius continued. "I have loved gold since I was a little boy. It was only natural for me to become an alchemist."

"So how do you become an alchemist here?" Kyo asked.

"Do you want to have breakfast now?" Aurius asked, ignoring the question.

"Oh sure," Kyo said. He put the book on the kitchen table and sat down.

"So how do you like it?" Aurius asked. Kyo was eating a plate of eggs and sliced ham with a glass of milk.

"Chewy" Kyo replied, putting a piece of ham into his mouth.

"Was that a compliment?" Aurius said to himself.

"So tell me, how do you become an alchemist here?" Kyo asked him.

"It's a trade" Aurius replied. "If you're lucky enough, a relative could teach you. If not, you'll have to find a master to apprentice yourself to."

"So you become a State Alchemist that way too?" Kyo asked him.

"Oh no! Becoming a State Alchemist is a different manner," Aurius said. "You have to go through a series of tests- gruelling tests may I add- in order to prove that you can transmutate things."

"Transmutate things? You mean you can actually transmutate things?" Kyo asked, feeling excited.

"Yes" Aurius answered. "In the final test, we have to transmutate materials into other materials. It was quite creative the way some of my fellow candidates used their skills."

"How do you transmutate things?" Kyo asked.

"Most of the time, by the use of symbols" Aurius said. "Why don't you come with me to my special room? I think you'll find it very interesting. Follow me." Kyo did so, but with a little apprehension. He took his book and notepad just in case.

"Wow!" Kyo said as he entered the room. There were golden statues everywhere. Besides people, there were golden animals, plants and tools. Kyo grabbed a shovel, which bended in his hands.

"Ah! Be careful! They are very soft!" Aurius warned.

"How come it's so soft?" Kyo asked.

"I see that you're not aware of gold's true nature" Aurius said. He took a golden lump from the table. "Do you know what this is?"

"A lump of gold?" Kyo guessed.

"Yes, but it's pure gold" Aurius told him. "You see, the gold you're probably used to seeing is an impure mixture of gold and other metals, like copper or silver. They are much harder than gold but work well with it."

"I see" Kyo said, wondering how much of an education he was going to receive before he finally go back to his own place. "So tell me, why don't you mix the gold with other metals? I could dent my fingers into one of these statues."

"I just can't make them that way," Aurius said a little stiffly.

'What does he mean by that?' Kyo thought. Did he not know how to do other metals?

"Now I want an apprentice of my own. I'm growing old and it's getting to be hard to do my work. I could use the help. Of course I'll have to get you to take an oath of secrecy-" Aurius started to say.

"Wait a minute! I didn't come here to get a job!" Kyo said.

"I know that. But you seem to have a lot of free time so why don't you move in with me and become my apprentice?" Aurius said. "You could even become a State Alchemist, like me."

"No thank you" Kyo said, waving his hand in emphasis. "I am actually looking for someone that can read French."

"I have read many books on alchemy by many authors in different languages," Aurius said. "I'm familiar with French works. Is that book you have an alchemy book?"

"Yeah" Kyo said, looking at the book. "I tried to get someone to help me already, but he went berserk on me." Aurius frowned.

"I doubt that a simple book could cause a person to become mad. The person had to be mentally unbalanced before that occurred" Aurius told him.

"I guess" Kyo said. He remembered Lawrence Boylen before he went berserk. Can anyone tell when someone will go haywire? Not everyone is clear-cut like Haru.

"Why don't we come outside so I can read the book in full daylight?" Aurius said.

"You don't got electricity either?" Kyo asked in disbelief.

"I didn't bother with it" Aurius told him. "I usually, ah, make my golden statues outside so I can see what I'm doing. I then take them inside."

"I suppose that would be okay," Kyo said. He then looked at the golden statues. "You know I saw a couple of golden statues outside."

"You saw another one?" Aurius sounded stiff. He then smiled. "I must have missed that one. Sometimes I can be so absent-minded." Kyo still looked puzzled. "Let's go out now. I can explain later."

So Kyo and Aurius went outside. All the cats that were with Kyo- plus a few more cats- were waiting for them.

"I never saw so many cats in my life!" Aurius said. Kyo decided not to say anything about it.

"Can you read this book or not?" Kyo asked him as they went down onto the steps of the golden porch. He opened the book to the first chapter.

"You should know that books made by alchemists are not written for the average person" Aurius informed him.

"Just read it, dammit!" Kyo yelled, almost sprouting cat ears and having an anger mark on his head.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I see that you really want to learn this. But I must warn you that what I may read would not be comprehensible to you" Aurius warned.

"Give me your best shot" Kyo said. "I only want to know how to go back home that's all," Kyo said.

"Eh?" Aurius said as he glanced at the pages.

"I came here because of a stupid accident" Kyo tried to explain. "I did it through some sort of alchemical symbol but I forgot which one I used. So I want to get someone who could read French to figure out which symbol I used so I can get from where I am back to my place."

"Amazing! You used alchemy to transport yourself from your place to here! That's incredible! I want to know how to do it too!" Aurius said. He started reading the book.

"Well?" Kyo said after a few minutes.

"You know, uh, pardon me. I don't recall hearing your name" Aurius said. Kyo looked peeved but opened his mouth anyway.

"Kyo Sohma. Call me Kyo" the orange-head said.

"You know, Kyo, I think I should take this book to Central City, when I have the chance. Perhaps my fellow State Alchemists can help me with this book-" Aurius started to say when Kyo pulled the book away from him. "What's the matter?"

"This book belongs to my cousin Shigure" Kyo said. "I can't lose this, no matter what!"

"Then become my apprentice!" Aurius said.

"I don't want to!" Kyo said. What's wrong with these people?

"But why not? It doesn't seem that you have a way to go back on your own, so why don't you live with me? I can teach you about my country and you can teach me about your country" Aurius said.

Kyo didn't want any of these alchemists to know about his homeland.

"Listen. I'll make you a deal. You translate a sentence for me, and I'll go to the nearest library and check the books there" Kyo said.

"Well, it'll be good to know who wrote this book" Aurius said. "Can you at least show me the author's name?"

Kyo at first hesitated. But he reminded himself that Aurius already knew how to make gold.

"All right. But one move toward the book and I'll be closing it," Kyo said. He then flipped toward the front page.

"'L'Histoire Du Grand Travail'" Aurius read out loud. "It's French indeed." His eyes then widened. "Nicolas Flamel? Do you know who he is?"

"Yes. A French alchemist," Kyo replied.

"Not just any French alchemist," Aurius said. "He's one of the most famous alchemists ever. Every alchemist in Amestris has heard about him," Aurius said.

"You mean because he was supposed to have made the Philosopher's Stone?" Kyo said.

"At least that's what we've been told," Aurius said. "You know that may be the reason why you're here. I heard that the Philosopher's Stone can make any wish come true."

"Do you really believe that?" Kyo asked. Aurius looked at the book again.

"This book…this book could be the most important book in Amestris!" Aurius said. "Give me it now!"

"Oh no you don't!" Kyo then shut the book and backed away. In haste, Aurius tried to grab Kyo's hair. He managed to grab a few strands of them. They instantly turned to gold.

"I see that you're a quick one," Aurius noted. "You'll be a challenge for my powers."

"Who the hell are you?" Kyo demanded to know.

"I'm Aurius d'Orc, the Midas Alchemist," Aurius said. "I can turn anything into gold with these gloves! Now give me that book or I'll turn you into a golden statue!"

"I knew it! They looked too real to be crafted by a person! You turned real people into gold!" Kyo yelled.

"I have to make a living somehow," Aurius said. "But it wouldn't matter to you when you become one of my statues." All of a sudden the cats went to Kyo's side. They growled and hissed at Aurius.

"Are those cats really yours?" Aurius asked.

"I can order them to attack you" Kyo said. 'Which is true' he thought.

"I need that book!" Aurius said. He then lunged toward Kyo.

The cats attacked like one.

"Ah…" Kyo said as he saw Aurius trying to fight them. A few turned to gold at the touch from his gloves. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"I want that book!" Aurius said. He then tried to grab Kyo again. Kyo socked him in the head with his left foot. "Ow!" The deranged alchemist used his sleeve to wipe his bloody forehead.

'I got to do something quick!' Kyo thought. He then realized something. 'His gloves can turn people into gold so maybe-" The orange-head then rushed toward Aurius, placing the book in front of him just in case the madman decided to rush toward him again.

"What are you planning to do, young-" Aurius started to say when Kyo pushed Aurius' right arm into his face.

"How about taking your own medicine?" Kyo said.

"Nooooo-" Aurius couldn't finish his sentence before his glove caused his entire body to turn to gold.

"I can't believe that I turned someone into gold, but the ass deserved it" Kyo said. He then looked at the untouched glove.

'I wonder what those symbols are,' Kyo thought. He opened the book and got out the notepad (which was in the book) and examined the glove without touching it. The remaining cats gathered around him as he did so.

"Let's see…" Kyo said as he flipped through the book. "Earth…Gold…what is this?" He saw a symbol that consisted of three triangles. "I guess that's how he was able to transmutate people into gold.' He then looked at all the cats that were turned into gold.

'Damn bastard' Kyo thought. He then decided to write a note.

It reads in painstaking English:

MAN TURNED TO GOLD. DO NOT TOUCH GLOVES.

He then thought for a moment.

HE TURNED OTHER PEOPLE AND THINGS TO GOLD. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO DEFEND MYSELF.

KYO SOHMA

'I guess that's it' Kyo thought. He placed the note in front of Aurius' right boot. 'I hope people can see it from down there.' He then got up.

"I have to go now," Kyo said to himself. "Maybe I should go to a town. I bet I can find a library where I can find some books and find out this book for myself." At that he started to walk toward the east. The cats followed him. In the meantime the wind gently blew the note away from Aurius' foot to a few metres away from where it originally was.

End of Chapter Four

I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I appreciate very much the number of reviews I'm getting. A crossover is always a risk- it can either bomb or not. So I'm happy that I'm getting responses. Fruits Basket was created by Natsuki Takaya (1999) and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa (2001) and distributed by Square Enix and Viz (very soon). Please do not forget to review!

Now for some more informative, if not useful notes:

Midas (in case you forgot) was a mythical Greek king who loved gold so much that he wished that everything he touched would turn into gold. Once his wish was granted, however, he soon discovered a major drawback- his food and drink would also turn into gold thus making him unable to eat or drink. Despite this, someone who said to 'have the Midas touch' is considered a person that is able to turn anything they want to success. It's also a name of a well-known auto service company in North America.

I hope my information on alchemy has been accurate so far. There's a website called Alchemylab. com that has a dictionary of symbols and a website called Levity .com /alchemy that has a wide range of articles on all types of alchemy. Because I wanted to put an alchemist in an original story, I already knew some things about the history of alchemy as well as some of the well-known alchemists (you'll probably be surprised who actually partook in alchemy!)

That's all for now. I plan on adding more notes as I go alone. There's so much information in my story that I feel it's only fair to share what I learned with you all. Also, if anyone wants to know when the familiar FMA characters are going to appear, be patient. They WILL eventually appear. Kyo is heading for the East. I wonder what'll happen next?

Chapter Five: The Night of the Living Toys


	5. Night of the Living Toys

****

Chapter Five of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

I kept my promise! Here are two new chapters for all of you! I am so happy that I got reviews from so many people! I like to note that this story is based on the MANGAS, not the animes of the original works. If you haven't read any of the latest manga chapters, I can e-mail you with links that may help you. My e-mail address is at my profile. You'll need to login into your Fanfiction account in order to see it though.

I am also conducting a poll for Favourite Character and Favourite Chapter. Hopefully this will help me with the story. Remember that the character has to appear in at least one chapter, and whose name can't be just mentioned. You can vote for as many characters and chapters as you like but please vote only once. Since do not conduct polls, please e-mail me at or with your vote. The results will be made known at the end of Chapter Ten. You have up to Chapter Nine to decide.

I am also going to be responding to some of the questions and comments made by readers in the next chapter. And because there hasn't been real laugh-out humour so far, I got two mini-specials for you at the next chapter. You can consider it as a reward for waiting so long.

I hope you enjoy the story so far. Do not be afraid to give suggestions. I already have ideas for the main plot, but I'll love to hear what you want for the in-betweens or for the mini-specials. Remember that I am only well acquainted with the mangas, so do remember that when you make suggestions.

Now that is done with, let this chapter begin!

"Hey Shorty, do you see that kid?"

The bald man looked down from the tree. He and his two comrades saw the kid walking below them with a few cats in tow.

"That guy has orange hair" the bald man noted in a low voice.

"He's probably just a punk," the third man said. (Note: Yes, the word 'punk' existed back then).

"Remember what the boss told us," the first man said. "He needs more toys or he'll make us into toys."

"No kidding," the bald man said, sweatdropping. "Alright, let's go down and beat the crap out of him and take him to the boss."

"Right!" the other two men said. They then leaped from the tree and landed behind the kid. The kid apparently heard them, for he and the cats looked back at them.

"I got no money," the kid said.

"We don't care about that" the bald man grinned, striking both of his gloves together. They produced an electrical spark. The kid widened his eyes. "The boss will be pleased with this one. Get him guys!"

A few minutes later…

"I can't believe I spent almost an entire day here and I already almost got blown up, almost got turned into gold and got attacked by a bunch of gloved idiots!" Kyo exclaimed. The men laid unconscious at his feet. A few bumps on their heads and cat scratches on their faces and arms left enough evidence as to who was the victor here.

'I do wonder about those gloves,' Kyo thought. 'When one of them faced against me, his gloves produced electrical sparks. Does that mean he's an alchemist too? How many alchemists are there in this country?'

Just then he sensed a smell. The cats apparently smelled it too because they backed away from the north, where the smell was coming from.

'Phew! And I thought my true form's smell was bad' Kyo thought. A wind blew from the east, and the smell weakened.

"Probably just trash," Kyo said. He then decided to go to the north, just in case. He really wanted to find a library, and if there was garbage around, there must be a town nearby.

He saw it literally sticking out from the landscape.

The black wooden house on the hill stood like a lighthouse on an island in the sea. Kyo could tell it must be at least fifteen stories high. A cobblestone path led him to the tall two-leafed door. It almost looked like a Gothic-style house except for one thing: he could see wiring on the walls. He knocked on the door.

"Who is there?" a man asked from a second-story window.

"Kyo Sohma. Call me Kyo," the orange-head said. "Uh, may I get a place to stay for the day?"

"I do have plenty of rooms," the man said. "Wait a minute." A minute later, one of the two-leafed doors opened.

"Um hello?" Kyo said to the darkness.

"I'm at the left side of the door," the man said. Kyo looked at the left side. From the light outside, Kyo could see a short, stout man dressed in a black cape and a red robe. On the front of his robe was a yellow embroidery of the caduceus. (For information on the caduceus, see the end of Chapter Two).

"You walked all this way in the dark?" Kyo asked him.

"Oh no," the man replied. "I just didn't turn the lights on here yet."

"You mean you got electricity?" Kyo sounded shocked.

"I got it installed when I built this house," the man answered. At that, Kyo hugged him. "Eh?"

"I've been in this place for almost a day and I haven't been in a house that had electricity!" Kyo exclaimed. The man let go of him.

"I imagine that there must be houses that still do not have any electricity," the man said. "I should turn on the lights. I don't think you'll be able to follow me in the dark." At that, Kyo heard a "click." All of a sudden Kyo was almost blinded by the light.

"Do you got running water too?" Kyo asked when he put his hand away from his face.

"Oh yes," the man replied. "I got all the latest conveniences in this house."

"Oh good, because I really need to wash myself," Kyo said.

"I can show you the way to the bathroom, uh, oh excuse me," the man said. "How rude of me. I didn't say my name. You can call me Celsus."

"I am Kyo," the orange-head said. He then looked at the man. The man had his black hair cover his right eye. His jaw was slanted to the left, giving him a sinister look.

"Well, Kyo, I can show you the way to my bathroom," Celsus said. "Follow me." At that, Kyo followed him down the hallway. Kyo kept looking at the drawings displayed on the walls.

"I think I recognized some of these drawings," Kyo said.

"They are just reproductions of well-known pictures involving alchemy," Celsus explained. "You probably saw them before in a book."

"Yeah" Kyo said. He kept a mental note to go back there so he can look in his book and compare.

"This is my bathroom," Celsus said, gesturing toward the wooden door. "I have some business to attend to. If you need my help, just yell very loudly." At that he left. Kyo went to the bathroom.

SPLASH! Kyo put a handful of water onto his face from the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror. His orange hair was dripping wet. He brushed aside his bangs to look at his complete face.

'What am I going to do?' Kyo thought. 'I can't seem to recall the symbol I used when I got transferred here. The Gold Alchemist said that no one had ever used alchemy to get from this place to another place. Does this mean that the alchemists in this country won't be able to help me? And they seem to know how to make gold, so what the heck are they still using alchemy for?'

All of a sudden his eyes widened.

'That smell…' Kyo thought. 'It's in the house!' He grabbed his book and went out of the bathroom.

"Grendel, did you find them yet?" Celsus' voice caused Kyo to listen intently.

"Grunt grunt grunt" Grendel (at least Kyo assume it was him) uttered. There must have been some non-verbal message too because the man seemed to have understood "him."

"Well, put them in the special room," Celsus said. "I got no use for them now." Grendel grunted again.

'What is going on now?' Kyo thought. 'Phew! And I thought I smelled bad when I'm in my true form. What is that thing?' He then decided to look for himself. He walked down the hallway.

"Eh?" Kyo said as he entered the room. He saw only Celsus sitting there on a chair with a cup of tea in his hands.

"Do you want a cup of tea, Kyo?" Celsus asked. Kyo looked around.

"Was someone else here?" Kyo asked him.

"Oh no, there was no 'someone' else here," the man replied. "Since you're a guest of my house, why don't you sit down and I'll get you a treat as well?" So Kyo sat down while Celsus got up and left the room.

'Now's my chance,' Kyo thought as he got up and went down the hallway again. Since he came inside the house, he had a feeling that he was being… watched.

Kyo saw a partially opened door at the far end of the hallway. Realizing it wasn't the bathroom, he went to it and opened it more fully. He was shocked by what he saw.

There were literally rows and rows of dolls and toys!

Eh? Kyo took a closer look at them. There were bookshelves of dolls and all sorts of carved animals and puppets that filled the room. He was fascinated by the variety of toys he saw. Kyo took a wooden horse toy from a shelf and examined it.

'Is this real?' Kyo thought. He looked at its eyes.

Kyo blinked.

The wooden horse blinked back.

Kyo's eyes went really wide (like O.O)

"Is something wrong, Kyo?" Celsus asked at the door.

"This-this toy blinked at me!" Kyo shouted.

"Are you sure?" Celsus asked him. He looked intently at the horse. "I see nothing blinking. Did you get lost, Kyo? Did you want to go to the bathroom again?"

"I got bored," Kyo replied. He wasn't sure if Celsus would buy it.

"Well, if you want to, you can stay in this room for the night" Celsus said. "Most of my rooms are for my toys. I love collecting them."

"Where did you get them?" Kyo asked, putting the horse back on the shelf.

"I either made them myself or had others help me," Celsus told him. "Do you want to go to my library now? I can show you all my books. They may help you pass the time until dinner."

"Do you have books on alchemy?" Kyo asked him.

"Oh yes," the man replied. "In fact I have been a State Alchemist for-"

"Oh no!" Kyo yelled. "You guys are everywhere!" He put his own book very far from the man, pointing a finger at him.

"This is Amestris you know" Celsus said. "Now I don't know who you met, but I can tell you I have no interest in that book, if that book is on alchemy."

"Why not?" Kyo asked.

"I already know how to make the Philosopher's Stone," the man said.

"You know how to make gold too?" Kyo questioned.

"I do, but it's not allowed," Celsus replied. "It's not used for that anyway."

"Huh?" Kyo said.

"Let us go now," Celsus said. "I'll prepare this room for you later." At that, Kyo followed him to a spacious room.

"How many books are here?" Kyo asked, looking around.

"I haven't counted all of them," the man replied. "But I do have a hundred journals in my library. You're not allowed to read my journals, however." He then saw that Kyo was looking at a plaque on the wall. "That's my State Alchemist certificate. I was so proud of it that I immediately had it plaqued once I got it. When I left Central City, it was one of the few things I took with me."

"Soul-Binding Alchemist?" Kyo said, apparently not listening to what Celsus was saying.

"That is my title when I became a State Alchemist," the man told Kyo. "All State Alchemists have their own title bestowed on them when they receive their certificate."

"I see" Kyo said. 'So that's why Boylen-san and Aurius-san said what they did about themselves,' he thought. He then looked at Celsus. "What reason do they give you your title?"

"They usually select a title based on your field of work or other characteristics or traits you're well known for" the man explained. "There is a different title for every person so everyone would know who you are by your title alone. Some of the most famous alchemists are recognized by their title alone."

"So how old do you have to be in order to become an alchemist?" Kyo asked him.

"There is no age limit to learn alchemy," Celsus replied. "Of course small children shouldn't be delving into alchemy, but anyone that can pass the State Alchemist exams can become one. I heard that the youngest State Alchemist was only twelve when he passed."

"Only twelve, huh? It can't be that hard," Kyo said out loud. He then looked at a drawing beside the certificate. "What is that?"

"The composition of the human body in alchemy language," Celsus said with a smile. "Do you know all the symbols in the drawing?"

"The upside-down triangle is water, right?" Kyo said.

"Yes, I see that you know the basics of alchemy," Celsus said.

"And-" Kyo then opened his book. "-the two symbols on the left represent iron and copper, right?"

"Or Mars and Venus," Celsus said. "Alchemists often used planets and other heavenly objects as symbols."

"I can see that" Kyo said. Celsus looked curious now.

"Is that book on basic alchemy or is it a book of deeper significance?" Celsus asked him.

"I think it's just a book on alchemy," Kyo replied, flipping through the pages. "I can't read what it says though." Celsus walked to him.

"Well many books on alchemy aren't meant for the average-" Celsus then looked down at the book. "Oh you mean you really can't read it."

"You know how to read French?" Kyo asked him.

"I'm not really fluent in French," Celsus replied. "Is that book written by Nicolas Flamel?"

"Yeah" Kyo said, looking back at him with a cross expression on his face. "So what?"

"I was just asking," Celsus said. "May I ask what is the name of the book? He wrote many books and documents on alchemy."

"It's called 'L'Histoire du Grand Travail'" Kyo said.

"I don't know what that mean," Celsus said, laughing shakily. He then looked back at the book again. "Do you know what the title of the story means?"

"I know the book's about the Philosopher's Stone" Kyo said. He then looked at him suspiciously. "What about it?"

"If you think I'm interested in Flamel's works, then you're wrong," Celsus said. "He was only interested in the Philosopher's Stone in order to make gold. My fellow alchemists, my fellow biological alchemists, have a more higher motive than that."

"And that is…" Kyo said.

"To create life!" Celsus declared.

"Life?" Kyo said. "You mean you can create life with alchemy?" A sweatdrop appeared on his face, looking very worried.

"It is possible. After all, in alchemy, you're not just working with physical matters, but also the spiritual, mental and emotional as well. So hypothetically speaking, if one can create a physical element, one can infuse it with all the other elements of the world to form a complete being. We call such a result, a homunculi, or man-made being," Celsus then saw Kyo's puzzled facial expression. "But I see that what I'm saying is beyond your understanding. I'll end this discussion."

"So are there different types of alchemy used here?" Kyo asked him.

"Of course! It depends on the alchemist's interests, as well as anything that the government wants you to do," Celsus replied. "But the main focus of alchemy in Amestris is to produce a substance of great power, at any cost, at any method possible. We call this substance the Philosopher's Stone."

"And how far have your government gone in this?" Kyo inquired.

"Don't ask," Celsus replied sharply.

"Huh?" Kyo said, a little startled by the blunt response.

"The less you know, the better it is for you" Celsus told him. "You're simply an amateur alchemist at best. Even the most experienced alchemist cannot be the same before he begins to work on the Philosopher's Stone."

"You know what? I don't think I really want to know" Kyo said. 'I can find another way to get out of here' he thought.

"You're a smart boy," Celsus said. "I'm very sure that the longer you stay here, the more you realize I'm doing you a favour by not telling you anything that you or your mind can't handle, at least not yet."

An awkward silence ensued for a few seconds.

"However, just because I have no interest in Flamel's works does not mean that all of my fellow State Alchemists do not. In fact, interest in Flamel's works has always been popular. After all, he was supposed to create the Philosopher's Stone from a book, but that book has never been found," Celsus told him.

"Are you telling me that this book I have is that book?" Kyo asked.

"Until you can read and decipher the words it is impossible to know for sure" Celsus said. "But I must advise you to be careful who and where you can show it. That book could be the most important book in Amestris. I'll be very careful if I were you."

"Thank you for your suggestion," Kyo said, bowing in appreciation. "I got a feeling that some of you guys are already insane."

"Well, one cannot get anything without a price," Celsus said. "That's the basic principle behind alchemy. It is much better, in my opinion, to sell your soul to the Devil than to offer yourself to the government as a State Alchemist. But I'm sure that you do not want me to babble on like this."

"Actually, I have a stronger urge to get out of this country now," Kyo said.

"At least you don't have any legal claims here," Celsus said. "Once I did my work, I quickly got out of Central and conducted my own research. If any of my superiors wanted me, they'll have to get their butts here to get me and only if they get past my guards."

"You have guards?" Kyo asked, looking around.

"I didn't order them to confront you" Celsus said. "You're a honoured guest. If you decided to attack me, of course, I'll have to call them out to defend me."

"Of course," Kyo said. 'That would explain why I was feeling so uneasy,' he thought. 'It must have been the guards that he put in place in this house.' He then spoke. "I thought you said there was no one but you here."

"There is no person but me living here," Celsus said.

"Maybe I should be a little more specific…" Kyo started to say.

"Don't worry, Kyo. You can stay here as long as you like" Celsus said. "In fact I have a personal interest in you."

"Eh?" Kyo said.

"You're not from here, are you?" Celsus said. "I know that other countries also do alchemy. It doesn't appear that your country does, though."

"Could you tell me where I could go to the nearest of these countries?" Kyo asked him.

"Why don't you just look around?" Celsus suggested. "I'm preparing for a very important research study. If you need me, just yell." And with that, he walked out of the room.

'Just yell? What does he mean by that?' Kyo thought. He went to a bookshelf. He opened a leather-bound book from it. On one page there was a picture of a two-headed dragon.

"Mercury?" Kyo said. He then turned a page. There was a picture of a man-head dog creature. On the bottom it read: "Chimaera."

"Is that a real creature or another symbol?" Kyo said. He shut the book. He took out another one. Kyo sighed in frustration. All the alchemists were right on one thing: the books were not made for someone like him. Even if he could read the language, the way it was structured made it very hard to guess what was written.

'Hmm,' Kyo thought. 'I wonder if there is a book that could help me with this.' He then went to a section called "Celsus' Journals." 'I wonder if Celsus-san has any book that could-'

All of a sudden he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and saw a suit of armour that was a few inches closer to him than before. Kyo went back to the bookshelf and reached for a book. He heard the movement again. He spun around.

The suit of armour had moved a few more inches from where it was the last time!

Kyo walked right to the suit of armour and knocked on the breastplate.

It rang hollow.

Kyo went back in shock.

He then put his left ear to the breastplate.

He heard no sound of breathing or heartbeat.

Kyo then did what he thought to do first. He put his book to his chest and ran out of the room.

"Are you okay, Kyo? You have not spoke much since this morning," Celsus said. Kyo was now in his newly prepared room. It now had a small bed.

"Are the guards still here?" Kyo asked, looking around.

"Oh yes. I ensure you that my guards will be up all night for your protection. If you want something, give out a loud yell," Celsus said. "Good night, Kyo. I shall see you later. I have something to do now."

"Wait!" Kyo said. Celsus stopped at the door. "What am I suppose to do? The library door will still be unlocked, right?"

"Why don't I make you a cup of tea?" Celsus said. He then smiled. "In fact I can give you a special blend of tea. You'll be paralyzed with delight over it."

"Sure" Kyo said. The man then left.

'Hmm…' Kyo thought as he flipped through his book. On one of the pages there was a big fire symbol. 'If it could work in my world-' he then plucked a strand of his orange hair-' it should work in this world too.' He then took out his notepad and drew a miniature version of the symbol. He was careful to include all the flame symbols inside the circle.

"Now for the final phase-" Kyo said. He then put the strand of hair on the paper.

WHOOSH! The paper immediately burst into flames! When Kyo put his hands away from his face, he saw that the paper was ablaze!

"Ah!" Kyo said. He quickly drew a water symbol and put it right atop of the burning paper. A great ball of steam came out but at least the fire was out.

"Kyo! I thought I heard you scream-" Celsus started to say from the door. He then saw what was going on the bed. "Kyo, what are you doing!"

"Uh" Kyo said. "Trying something out?"

"Please don't do alchemy in this room," Celsus told him. "I got a special room for that purpose."

"Uh yeah" Kyo said, a bit red in his face. "I didn't expect a great fire like that."

"You really have to be careful, Kyo," Celsus said. "I know that you want to learn alchemy but my place isn't fireproof."

"I know" Kyo said, trying to hide his embarrassment. He then picked up the two pieces of the burnt paper. "I guess I need a new blanket." There was now a big black hole on the blanket.

"Yes. I have to get another blanket," Celsus said. "I must warn you not to try that again. I have many precious things in this place."

"I didn't mean to make it that big" Kyo tried to explain.

"I know. Still I have to say I'm impressed," Celsus said. "Central may have some use for you."

Kyo didn't know what he meant and he didn't dare to ask.

It was some time later. Kyo was fully tucked into bed with the book. The cup of tea by his side was almost empty. Kyo was still reading from the book. He finally shut it.

'I learned how to make fire and quell it with water through alchemy,' Kyo thought. 'But here I might be able to transmutate things too. I really need to learn about alchemy. I may need more paper too. I wonder where I could buy paper.' His eyes then widened. 'Oh man! I don't even have money! And even if I did, I doubt they will accept Japanese money!' He then looked at the cup of tea. 'I still can't taste anything! And I can't seem to fall asleep. What is wrong with me?' He then laid his head against the pillow. He then shut off the lamp and closed his eyes.

Kyo didn't know how long it was until he felt something move on the bed. Kyo opened his eyes. Because of the nature of his Zodiac spirit, he could see very good in the dark (at least I assume that would be the case). Though his human eyes were not as good as a real cat, he could see forms moving on his bed toward him. But it really didn't hit him what they were until one of them reached out for his book.

Kyo resisted. It tried to grab it again. Kyo resisted. This time another form tried to grab the book. Kyo has had enough.

"What the-" Kyo said. He turned on the lamp (but not before he accidentally hit it). What he saw was almost unbelievable for him.

There were dolls, stuffed animals and carved toys on his bed. A doll with blonde curls wearing a red dress and a white lacy apron was trying to pull the book away from him. A carved wooden doll in a blue uniform (Kyo will later find out what that uniform is) was next to her doing the same. Kyo felt a sudden urge to get out of the bed.

"What- who are you!" Kyo said out loud. The blonde-curled doll and most of the other dolls and toys drew back, but the blue-uniformed toy stood firm.

"You're still awake?" the male said. "That can't be! Didn't Celsus drugged the tea?"

"You don't suppose the drug had no effect on him?" the horse toy (the one that Kyo picked up before) said to the other toy.

"Celsus used curare. There is no way that it could have no effect on him," the blue-clothed toy said. "It paralyzes the body, so the victim will have no chance to run away."

"Wait a minute! What is he planning to do with me?" Kyo said.

"Probably what he did to all of us," the blue-clothed toy man said.

"Wha-what? No way!" Kyo yelled out.

"Be quiet!" the horse toy said. "He may hear you!"

"He can't be doing this, right? Didn't someone try to find out about this?" Kyo asked.

"I am Second Lieutenant Parker of the Amestrian Army," the blue-uniformed toy explained. "I was actually sent to fetch Mr. Celsus for a government assignment. But he used the tea trick on me and I'm now a wooden soldier."

"Didn't they send someone else after you?" Kyo asked him.

"I am Major Lanning, also of the Amestrian Army," another blue-uniformed toy said. Kyo saw another wooden toy speak. "I was sent to find Second Lieutenant Parker but I too fell into Celsus' trap. I guess that Central has bigger problems now because I'm not sure if anyone else was sent after us."

"We wanted to read the book because we believe that we could find some way for us to reclaim our bodies even if we have to make them ourselves," the blonde-haired doll said.

"Is that really possible?" Kyo said.

"We don't know, but we feel it could be done" the doll said. "After all, we know what makes a human body. All we need is to make one for each of us and put our spirit into it."

"Why is this guy doing this for?" Kyo wanted to know.

"A biological alchemist in Amestris," the horse toy said. "is often used by the government for things involving the Philosopher's Stone. With it, it is thought that it could grant any wish a person could desire. I was a State Alchemist myself, but Celsus became obsessed with his work and he used even human beings in his experiments. What are you doing?" He saw that Kyo was getting out of bed.

"I'm getting out of here," Kyo said. "I have a plan."

"Are you planning to escape?" the horse toy asked him.

"No," Kyo answered. He then looked back again, his pupils almost in slits. "If I escape, he'll just do this all over again to someone else. I'm going to defeat this bastard and make sure he'll never do this again to anyone else!"

End of Chapter Five

Next Chapter: Kyo's Worth and the Showdown with the Soul-Binding Alchemist


	6. Kyo's Worth and the Showdown

****

Chapter Six of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Note: This chapter will contain a bit of violence, so please heed the Teen rating. Reader discretion is advised.

Also, don't forget the responses to readers' questions and comments, and the two mini-specials I mentioned in my last chapter.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"How? Even if you're able to take him on, his other guards will be able to-" the blonde-haired doll stopped midway. "He's here!" At that, all the dolls and toys went off the bed and back to their shelves. At first, Kyo was puzzled.

He then smelled a hideous odour.

'That Grendel guy is here!' Kyo thought. He pulled up the blanket to his nose. 'I got to pretend I am asleep.' He then closed his eyes hoping that Grendel will fall for it.

The door opened, and the smell became more pronounced. He heard loud footsteps coming toward him. Kyo tried to keep his breathing to a minimum. He found this was easier than he thought.

All of a sudden Kyo felt something on his chest.

SMACK! The orange-head pounded him on the side of the head.

"RAWR!" Grendel shouted. Kyo went atop of his bed.

"As you can now see, your master's little trick didn't work on me," Kyo said. He then took a good look at him. "Ah! What the hell are you?" He pointed at him.

"RAWR!" Grendel yelled. He then slammed his hairy fists at the bed. Kyo leaped up and fell down onto the bed, making it collapse.

'What is he?' Kyo thought sweating. 'He looks like a cross between a hairy beast and a-' Kyo couldn't finish his thought when Grendel tried to attack him again. Kyo managed to grab his book before leaping out of the bed.

"GRAH!" Grendel said. He looked at the orange-head with his copper eyes. He then picked up the bed.

"AHHHHH!" Kyo yelled. He ran but could not run away before Grendel threw the bed at hi. Kyo felt something full on his back, pushing him right at the ground. Still he didn't feel any pain.

"Grah?" Grendel uttered as he looked down at the bed. He saw that there was no movement from underneath it. Still one cannot be certain. "GRAAAHHH!" Grendel yelled as he began to slam its arms at the central part of the bed.

Just then the bed was flunged toward him.

"Get a heavier bed, you damn monster!" Kyo said as he lifted himself from the ground, and in the process, threw the bed at Grendel using his backside.

"GRRAAHHH!" Grendel screeched. The bed splintered in impact. There were pieces of wood and metal springs everywhere now.

"Grendel, what is going on?" Celsus said. He ran down the hallway. He then stopped when he saw Kyo, who was dusting himself off. "Did the drug wore off so soon? Grendel, get him!"

"Who do you think you are-" Kyo started to say when he had to dodge a blow from Grendel. "Get out of my face!" He then did a karate kick to the right side of Grendel's head (which was incredible considering that Grendel was taller than he was).

'He's good' Celsus thought. 'I have to add him to my collection.' "Get him again Grendel!" he shouted.

"RAWR!" Grendel said. He rushed at Kyo who flipped to the left wall. Grendel tried to punch him but Kyo also dodged that. There was now a great hole on the wall. Celsus was becoming excited.

'This is great!' Celsus thought. 'I have to lure him toward my special room! He shall be my greatest result yet!'

"Grendel! Down this way!" Celsus commanded. He pointed back toward the hallway.

"Tell me, why are you doing this?" Kyo shouted. "What do you hope to achieve by turning people into toys?"

"I don't turn people into toys" the alchemist replied. "I put their spirits into inanimate objects and I fuse others into chimeras, such as Grendel here."

"He's a what?" Kyo said. He then remembered the picture of the man-beast. "I thought he was simply a monster!"

"Monsters do not come into being on their own in Amestris," Celsus said. "They either are created from other beings or we can make ourselves into them."

"I assume you're the latter?" Kyo said.

"Ha ha! You got it! I'm one of the few that admit the truth about alchemy. You want to know about alchemy? I'll tell you the first step to alchemy." Kyo looked more attentive. "You see, the first step to alchemy is insanity!" At that, Grendel launched his whole body at Kyo.

"I said GET OUT OF MY FACE!" Kyo yelled as he used his book as a shield. He then slammed him back onto the floor. Grendel gave out a painful cry.

"Amazing! You're so strong, even my strongest creation can't fight you!" Celsus said. "What are you? You can't be human!"

"I don't know how you define 'human', but if you want to see my true self-" Kyo started to say. He then grabbed his bracelet. "Prepare yourself!" He then took off his bracelet.

"Wha-what!" Celsus said. Before his own eyes, he saw a normal-looking boy turned into a monster that goes beyond any definition he knew. The bracelet fell onto the floor.

"This is my true form," 'Kyo' said. "But I am still a human like you."

"What are you?" Celsus asked. "Are you a chimera? Are you part human and part…whatever that is?" At first, 'Kyo' was about to reply when he stopped.

What was he now?

Was it this thing really him or was it only the cat spirit that has now manifested itself?

Akito-san called him a monster, an "it." His own mother called him evil and killed herself to get away from him. The others stayed away from him. Only Shishou accepted him, and then Tohru. But what is he now?

"I am a living person!" Kyo yelled. "I am an intelligent mortal!"

"You're intelligent all right," Celsus said. "That's why I want you. Grendel, chase him down the hallway! I'll wait for you in the special room!" At that, Celsus ran off.

"Hey-" Kyo started to say when he felt Grendel come upon him. He swiped him at the chest. "I don't want to hurt you but I'm not going to be a toy of a madman!"

Grendel apparently didn't like that. He tried to slam his body against Kyo, who had to leap backward (which was not easy to do in his form) in order to avoid being slammed into the ground.

'Dammit! What am I going to do? I can't overpower him and my form-' Kyo started to think when a POOF occurred and Kyo was back in his normal self. "Oh dammit!"

"RAWR!" Grendel growled. Kyo hold up the book to defend himself again. Grendel whacked the book out of his hands. It fell on the floor.

"AHHHHH!" Kyo shouted in fear. He ran down the hallway in the direction of Celsus. He banged on very door he saw, hoping for an unlocked one to get inside it.

'Where the hell is an opened door?' Kyo thought. He could hear Grendel breathing behind his back.

All of a sudden, he turned the knob on the last door at the right in the hallway. It opened. Kyo shut it at once. But then a giant hairy hand burst through the wooden door. The rest of his body did as well. Kyo screeched. He staggered backward, falling down on a white drawing on the floor.

"Grendel! Be careful!" Celsus told him. Grendel, now inside the room, grunted. "Well, that's it! I don't need you anymore anyway!" He then grabbed a sword from a suit of armour and stabbed him through the chest. Red blood came out of Grendel's mouth.

"Ahhhh!" Kyo yelled. "What did you do that for?"

"He was only useful until I could find a replacement," Celsus told him. "Of course that replacement has now arrived."

'He means me,' Kyo thought. "You mean you killed him just because you were waiting for someone like me? How could you do that to someone?"

"He was only something I made," Celsus said dismissively. "He was just a tool. Do you not discard your tools when you no longer need them?"

"You're a monster!" Kyo roared. "It breathed, moved and speak yet you killed it just so it can replace it with someone else! What gives you the right to decide who gets to live or die?"

"Chimeras do not have rights in Amestris," Celsus told him. "They are made for experimental reasons and used in laboratories."

"So if I'm classified as a chimera, then you can use me whatever you want, and then discard me like garbage?" Kyo asked him.

"You got it!" Celsus said.

"I think I'll pass on your offer," Kyo said.

"You got no choice in the matter," Celsus said. "Be grateful that I am going to simply put your soul in a suit of armour along with my other guards." He put his gloves together. Kyo's eyes widened when he saw that the gloves had symbols on them.

"Oh no you don't!" Kyo said. He started to form his right hand into a fist with the intention of pounding the mad alchemist to the wall when he felt a power from beneath his feet. "Huh?"

"Don't you remember what I am? I'm a State Alchemist! I have been a State Alchemist before you were even born! A mere amateur like you cannot compare with the likes of me!" At that, the symbol beneath Kyo's feet lit up as if a hundred light bulbs were in it. Kyo stopped in mid-motion.

'It's working!' Celsus thought in glee. 'Once I get his spirit, I shall- huh?' He then saw a mysterious form appear in front of Kyo. 'It's in a shape of a cat! A cat!' He then remembered seeing the group of cats that was with Kyo at the door. 'Is he really a cat in human form or is there two spirits in him, one cat and one human?' The cat form then looked directly at Celsus.

"Nice kitty…" Celsus said. "I have angered you because I have threatened your host, but I'm sure I can find you a good body too. Now how about- ah!" The cat form growled and walked forward on its four feet. "Get away from me! I'm a State Alchemist! A State Alchemist! -" But the cat form had already readied its claws. Celsus screamed, but no guard of his could prevent the cat from using Celsus as its scratching post. The last thing he saw was a claw.

"What happened?" Kyo said once he regained consciousness. He smelled blood. "What the hell?"

Kyo saw not only the body of Grendel on the floor but also that of Celsus. The most alarming thing, though, for Kyo was that Celsus was covered in scratches.

'He is covered with what looks like cat scratches!' Kyo thought. 'Wait a minute! I remember when I was losing consciousness, I felt something come out of me! I thought that I was going to die, but could it be instead of drawing out my own spirit, he drew out the Spirit of the Cat instead?' He thought for a minute. He then laughed out loud.

"He got what he deserved anyway," Kyo said. He then walked toward him. "Is there anything else the Cat did?"

He then saw a golden object with a chain next to Celsus' body. It looked like it came out of his coat pocket.

"What is this?" Kyo asked as he picked it up. He then flipped open the lid. "It's a pocket watch!" He then looked at Celsus and touched him with his foot. "I don't think he'll be using this anymore." He thus put the golden watch into his own pocket.

Kyo's eyes were as wide as saucers when he went down the hallway. His book was opened and dolls, toys, suits of armour and dummies (as in ventriloquist ones) were looking down at it.

"What are you doing to my book?" Kyo yelled, sprouting cat ears and making anger marks appear all over his head.

"Theodorus, can you make what this is?" the blonde-haired doll asked the wooden horse.

"It's obviously a work of Flamel," Theodorus replied. "But I cannot comprehend a single sentence." At that, all the toys became sad.

"Excuse me, but that's my book," Kyo said.

"We were only curious," the blonde-haired doll explained. "We wanted to find out if we can go back to our bodies using this book."

"Don't you need your old bodies to do that?" Kyo said.

"We were hoping that we could recreate our own bodies" the blonde-haired doll told him. "Theodorus told us that it's possible with alchemy."

"Speaking of alchemy," a small doll that looked like a small boy said. "What happened to Celsus and Grendel?"

"Let's say that you'll not have to worry about them anymore," Kyo said.

"You mean you killed them?" the boy doll said.

"I didn't say that. Well, they're dead but I didn't do it" Kyo tried to explain. But how could he do it when he could only guess?

"Hooray! The ogre's dead!" all the toys cried out. All who had arms put them up.

"Even if we cannot have out bodies back, at least we're free!" a suit of armour said.

"You sound familiar" Kyo said in an accusing tone.

"Well you see, we were sent out to find any person that we could get our hands on. But you and those super-cats got the best of us, and we woke up in the special room. You can guess what happened to us from there on," the suit of armour said.

"So what happens to you from now on?" Kyo asked everyone.

"I guess" the horse toy said. "We try to find a way to become human once more or until our bodies decay or our seals are broken."

"Seals?" Kyo said.

"A seal like this," Theodorus then went on his back. Kyo looked a little closer. The toys allowed him to walk more in order to see it better. Kyo could see it was an alchemical seal- the double rings proved that.

"I see. Well so long" Kyo said. He picked up the book and started walking away.

"Wait! Are you leaving us?" Theodorus called out. "It's still night out!"

"This place still gives me the creeps," Kyo said. "Besides, I'm used to sleeping outside anyway."

"We can at least give you full access to the library" Theodorus said. "Consider it a gift of gratitude. With Celsus dead, there is really nothing you can't do now."

"Hmm?" Kyo said, now looking very interested.

It was morning now. Kyo was outside, taking a last look at his new hosts. Kyo counted almost a hundred toys in total. He wondered how many of them had families and friends that wondered where they were.

"You know, if you come back here, we'll be glad to help you again," Major Lanning said.

"Thanks," Kyo said. He now carried a large pouch over his right shoulder. "I don't know what to say now though at least I have a pouch to hold my book."

"You shouldn't lose that pouch too," the horse toy said. "Just because we were not able to decipher anything from that book does not mean that no one can decipher it. And who knows what he might do with the information."

"Don't worry about that," Kyo said. "I know better than show it to other people from now on."

"There is one thing I should tell you" Theodorus said. "Whatever you do, don't become a State Alchemist."

"Ha! You don't have to tell me that!" Kyo said.

"Becoming a State Alchemist will allow you access to secret files that you will not be able to get otherwise, but you would also become a property of the government!" Theodorus warned. "They can even order you to kill! So be careful, Kyo! And do not let the book fall in anyone else's hands!"

'Access to secret files…' Kyo thought. He then waved his hands as if dismissing the thought.

"I'll go to a library," Kyo said. "You do know where I can go for a library?"

"East City should be close by" a bear toy said. "I was travelling from there when I came across this place."

"There is also a road near here too," the blonde-haired doll said. "I don't know how long it is or where it leads, but do be cautious when going on it. You never know who you'll meet."

"Don't worry about that," Kyo said. He then walked off, the cats following him. The toys looked on.

"He is one strange kid," the blonde-haired doll said. "I mean, he has orange hair and cats follow him like he had fish in his pockets."

"I only hope that he gets what he wants fast," Theodorus said. "How he killed Celsus like that…he seem more animal than human. I don't know what Central might do to him if they found out the truth about him."

No toys could offer any other comment.

"You said that he had orange hair?" a man asked the old woman. He had a notepad and a pencil. He was dressed in the blue military uniform with the ranking of Major on it.

"Yes" the old woman replied.

"Are you sure he didn't just have light red hair?" another man asked her. His uniform had the ranking of Captain on it.

"Are you making me into a fool?" the old woman said, looking quite sternly at him.

"No, ma'am. I'm just confirming your answer," the young man said, though a bead of sweat ran down his face as he did.

"And you said that a group of cats were following him?" the Major inquired.

"Aye," the old woman nodded. "It's strange. I have known that a cat can follow a human, but not a group of cats following a human."

"All of the witnesses said that he was carrying a brown leather-bound book. Do you know anything about that?" the Major asked.

"I do not know what's inside the book," the woman said. "At first he asked for 'Marcoh-san.' I assume he meant the doctor. He then asked for any other alchemist. I took him to Lawrence Boylen. It was some time later when the village felt a great shake. It was then when we realized that there was smoke coming out of Lawrence Boylen's house. We quickly got help."

"Do you know why he wanted to see the doctor or Lawrence Boylen?" the Major inquired.

"Oh no! I didn't ask him that!" the old woman replied.

"Thank you, Mrs. Smith," the Major said. "Let's go, Captain Churchill. We have all the information we will get here." They started to walk toward the car that was waiting for them at the door.

"Wait!" the old woman shouted. The men stopped. "Do you know how Lawrence Boylen is doing now?" the Major looked back at her.

"As far as I know, he is still in East City Hospital," the Major said. "We only know that much. Good day, ma'am." At that, he and his subordinate went to the car.

"So, Major Lee, did you find anything about the kid?" the Captain asked.

"We would be able to recognize him in a crowd at least" the Major said, looking over his papers. "Let's see- orange hair, brown eyes, dark blue shirt, dark blue pants, 16-18 years of age, 165-175 centimetres in height, 50-60 kilograms in weight, carries a brown leather-bound book and often surrounded by cats."

"He sure is unique," the Captain said. "So do you think Central should be notified of this?"

"Not yet" Major Lee said. "The explosion is still under investigation. But we did notice a black piece of paper on the floor with the melted glass. It seem that it originally contained a symbol."

"Like an alchemy symbol?" the Captain said.

"Yes" Major Lee nodded. "There is, of course, no proof of this until we can find the kid and get him to tell the truth, but it doesn't seem that Lawrence Boylen will try to burn his own place down. It has to be the kid."

"What was the kid's name again?" Captain Churchill asked.

"Kee-oh," the Major said. "That's the name that Mrs. Smith gave when we first questioned her. I don't know how it's spelled though. But it's the book I think that might interest Central the most."

"The book?" Captain Churchill inquired.

"Lawrence Boylen, the Glass Alchemist, is still in the hospital. According to the latest reports, he's still uttering, 'The book, the book' over and over again," the Major said.

"What sort of book could do that to a man?" the Captain asked.

"I don't know" the Major replied. "But Lawrence Boylen is a smart man. He likely found out what that book is about, and it must have consumed his mind. But there is one thing that really disturb me."

"You mean about the kid?" the Captain said.

"Lawrence Boylen suffered from severe burns on his face and hands, yet according to witnesses, the kid just walked away without any apparent injury," Major Lee said. "They were apparently in the same room together, but only the Glass Alchemist got hurt. Something strange is going on."

"Are you recommending that the brass in Central should be notified of this?" Captain Churchill asked him.

"Central probably has bigger problems to deal with," the Major said. "East City will be responsible anyway as long as he's still in this jurisdiction." He paused. "Still I do wonder about that book…"

At the same time, Kyo was on a road to his next destination.

End of Chapter Six

Whew! I finally got this done! Kyo will be in the thick of things very soon. I have to admit that I never expected so many reviews so early in my story! I'm so happy that there are a lot of Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist fans out there! I should note that I have done the first chapter of "The Cat's Revenge," a Furuba fic, and "Apology" a short FMA one-shot. Check them out! But before you do, read my responses to the comments and questions that readers made as well as two mini-specials that I did!

Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and is distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and is distributed by Square Enix and Viz.

Now enjoy my responses!

Hikari Dragoness of Light: I do not want to reveal any spoilers about the book yet, but let's say you're a bit right on both accounts. If you want to know more, keep on reading!

Saffiremoon21: Wow, someone whose story I reviewed, reviewed mine in return! Thank you so much! I hope that you enjoy the rest of my story as well!

Jazze Al-Bhed-Girl: Kyo WILL meet most of the familiar FMA characters though Hughes will not be one of them: by the time Kyo enters the FMA world, Hughes would be already dead. But his ex-wife and daughter will appear later in the story. As for Roy, he and his "inner circle" buddies (you know whom I mean) will be appearing after a few more chapters. I don't know when Ed and Al will appear, but things usually fall into place on their own. As for Kyo being OOC, do you still feel that way after reading the past two chapters?

Michelle- Read the above response about Ed and Al's appearances. I should note that I generally do not make an outline for every chapter I make. I only have a general idea about what I would like to write, but things eventually fall into place on their own.

Alowl- Starting from Chapter Six, the military will try to find out about the "Cat Alchemist" and will make things interesting for Kyo, to say the least. As for Ed being sent to find Kyo, you have to find that out for yourself. As for Kyo's transformations and his "true" form, you'll probably have figured out that the curse is still in effect so you're bound to see even more transformations throughout the story if you continue to read it.

Hallohello- Yes, I love the cow scene too. I actually did it as a tribute to Hiromu Arakawa, who grew up in a dairy farm and absolutely loves cows! She even draws herself as one in her mangas. And oh yeah, Haru is technically not a cow- cows are females, like elephants and seals. Haru can be considered a bull, or an ox, but not a cow. Where I live, many cattles, not just cows, are white with black or brown splotches. Do you think that Hiromu Arakawa would like Haru?

Yami Flo- Merci beaucoup! You can be assured that Kyo (as well as a few others) will be going through the wringer, so to speak, before this is all over. As for my French, it was an honest mistake- I have a Canadian French-English dictionary at home- but I do appreciate the offer. I think your English is quite good. I think anyone that can master English has done an amazing thing, considering all the grammar and spelling rules. Critique plus, s'il vous plait!

Keiyou- I thought I was the only one that thought Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist would make a good crossover! Some of the characters have similar personalities (Shigure- Roy, Kyo- Ed, Ayame- Hughes, Kagura- Armstrong) and both works explore similar themes, one which I touched in this chapter. As well, they are both highly popular and enjoyable works, and were created by female manga-kas. And thank you for the e-mail address! I hope you review again!

Rayame325: I didn't know you were into Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist! I would have alerted you when I did my other Fruits Basket works (I got three one-shots already). Kyo's my favourite character too, but I just thought he would be the most suitable Furuba character to go to the FMA world. About the cats, read my response to Alowl's question if you haven't already. I know that most of my readers that go to school are out for the summer and I hope you did your best. Thank you for reviewing my newest Furuba and Fullmetal Alchemist works! Continue to review my Inu-Yasha works as well!

To Yutakia, Neji wife, Dark Angel Alchemist, Psyco Demon (thanks for the e-mail!), Monk of the Neko, Shingo-sama, FullMetal Alchemist and no name: Thank you very much for reviewing! Please do try to review again!

Now for the mini-specials!

Ever wonder what would happen if other Fruits Basket characters went to the FMA world? (hope I'm not spoiling anything). Well here's your answer for two of them! While you're reading this, try not to hurt or damage anything while you're doing so, okay?

#1:

Ritsu: I WILL CONFESS EVERY SIN I HAVE DONE IN THIS WORLD! I'M SO SORRY THAT MY PITIFUL SELF HAS BEEN SUCH A BURDEN TO YOU AND YOUR COUNTRY! I'M SO SORRY THAT YOU HAD TO BE CURSED WITH SPENDING SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO FIND ME AND BRINGING ME HERE! I'MMM SORRRYYY! I'MMM SOOO SORRRYYY!

Roy: thinking This has to be the easiest interrogation ever.

Hawkeye: turning her head at Roy Excuse me, Colonel, but are we talking to a boy or girl?

#2:

Hawkeye: sounding uncomfortable Colonel, our suspect is complaining about his cell. He says it's too cold.

Roy: Oh? I'm sure his cell can't be that cold!

Hawkeye: He said that if it gets too cold, it'll make him very uncomfortable.

Roy: putting his hands up What is he talking about? It's 20 degrees Celsius outside! If he's that cold we could get him a blanket or-

Snake-Ayame: popping out of Hawkeye's uniform Actually, I'm feeling quite comfortable now that I'm in your First Lieutenant's bosom! But I wouldn't mind if you bring some tea for me, please? Hawkeye looks startled but not as startled as Roy

A few minutes later…

Hawkeye: on phone with her left arm covering her chest Hello? I need a new uniform. Colonel Mustang just ripped it apart, burned it and is now beating our suspect with his ignitor gloves.

Fury's voice: You do have some clothes on, right?

Ayame's voice: Ow! THWAP! Ow! THWAP! Ow! THWAP!

That's it for now! I know that my fellow Canadian, American and French readers will be enjoying their national holidays tomorrow, on the 4th and the 17th so I hope to hear from you again very soon! Don't melt or fry until then, okay?

Next Chapter: What's Rushing in Rush Valley? (it'll make sense when you read it)


	7. What's Rushing in Rush Valley?

****

Chapter Seven of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Sorry for the delay. The fact was that I couldn't focus on what I was reading. Fortunately, I got reading glasses now, so I can go back to reading without hurting my eyes when everything goes double. (Not that I don't have any new complaints- I can't believe how dirty my eyeglasses can get in a day!). Now that's over with, I can go back to reading and editing my works. I hope everyone understands.

I have to say that I'm astounded by the number of reviews I keep getting for this story. I keep thinking, 'am I really that good with this story?' After all, the quality of my writing has not really changed from my other stories. And while the title would have gotten attention (which is why I call it that), I wasn't sure if anyone would take a Furuba/FMA crossover seriously. But not only did you guys took it seriously, you EMBRACE it. Many of you asked questions that took me more than two pages to answer on paper. All of you, I'm sure, want to know when the familiar FMA characters will appear (just wait for one more chapter!). Also, I'm sure that some of you may wonder what Tohru, Yuki and the rest are doing and how they are reacting to Kyo's "disappearance." It will be revealed in good time, my friends.

Because of the nature of the original works, this story will contain violence, profanity and a few sexual references. While there'll be nothing too graphic, reader discretion is advised.

Finding a map of Amestris was a study in frustation in itself. I hope I don't make a mistake when it comes to places and directions. If I make a mistake, please kindly inform me. I'll be eternally grateful.

In case you didn't read it (how many people actually read my notes, I wonder), I got a poll for Favourite Character and Favourite Chapter. Rules are in Chapter Five. Just remember that you must e-mail me since does not allow polls. You have up to Chapter Nine to decide. Good luck!

If-Natsuki-Takaya-Can-Rant-Why-Can't-I-Moment: I finally got Volume Ten of Fruits Basket. Yes, you heard me, Volume TEN! I don't know what was the holdup, but I'm so glad I finally got it! I'm just hoping that the third volume of Fullmetal Alchemist or the eleventh volume of Fruits Basket doesn't take me two months to get as well. Heads will roll, I swear. (Update: Got Volume 11 so far).

Well, I'm sure that you want me to stop yapping and get this thing on the road, so to speak. I should point out that from the next chapter onward, this story will contain heavy FMA manga spoilers. If you don't care, you might still want to check out the latest FMA scanlations anyway. Things are getting pretty interesting, to say the least!

Now that is all over with, let this chapter begin!

"The first step of alchemy is madness!"

Celsus' words still rang in Kyo's mind as he walked down a road. He recalled all the words Celsus spoke regarding alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone.

'The Philosopher's Stone sounds like heavy stuff' Kyo thought. He flipped through the book. Symbols covered the pages.

'Le Grand Travail…la poudre…l'essence…' Kyo thought as he read a few pages. 'I sure could use a library-'

BONK!

Kyo fell down, more from shock of being bumped into than any real impact. The golden watch fell out of his pocket as he did so.

"Huh?" Kyo said as he opened his eyes. He saw two brown horses staring down at him. They must be sires, since they were evidently bigger than Rin in her transformed state.

"Sir, are you okay?" the farmer asked as he looked down at him. He then saw the watch on the ground. "Oh-!"

"Do you know where this road leads to?" Kyo asked him as he picked himself off the ground and put the watch in his hand.

"R-R-Rush Valley, sir" the farmer replied. He sounded very nervous now.

"That's just what I want to know! Take care!" Kyo said as he waved and walked away. The farmer just started up his horses and went away.

'He sure was in a hurry' Kyo thought as he looked back. He then opened the watch. 'It seems to be almost nine o'clock. I hope if there is a library, it will be opened by now.'

It was a half-hour later when he finally reached Rush Valley.

"Wha-what!" Kyo said half-shocked.

It was not the size of the place- it was evidently not a city- that shocked Kyo. For one thing, there were no cars on the streets. Most of the people walked, while a few rode on bicycles and horse carts. There weren't even buses. But the lack of automobiles wasn't what shocked Kyo the most. It was what some of the people had on themselves and were selling.

"Meow!" a cat made Kyo look down. His eyes widened even further when he realized that the tabby cat had a metal-looking front leg. Kyo picked it up and examined it.

'It's like an artificial limb!' Kyo thought. All of a sudden the cat moved its front legs. It evidently had no problem moving its metallic limb.

"Yes, son, we can use it for animals too," a man's voice caused Kyo to look at his right. There was a big man with a pipe sitting on a stool. In front of him was a table filled with all sorts of metallic parts. Kyo put down the cat and examined the parts for himself.

"Are these some sort of prosthetics?" Kyo asked.

"Huh?" the man said. "You never heard of auto-mail before?"

"I'm new here," Kyo said, hoping not to sound stupid. "I don't know the local things or anything."

"Well, you apparently know about prosthetics" the man said. "Some time ago, it was discovered that auto-mail would make good limb replacements. Considering the wars and rebellions, the auto-mail industry has been booming."

"Wars? Rebellions?" Kyo was now very concerned.

"Well there was the Eastern civil war. And there are the border skirmishes between Drachma and Cretea, and the countless little rebellions and the terrorist attacks. It's a sad fact that this business is only operating at this level because of all the violence going around," the man said. Kyo didn't know how to reply to that. But he did know that the sooner he got out of this place, the better.

Kyo then saw a sign behind him. It reads:

AUTO-MAIL ARM GRADE A- 

500 000 cens 

AUTO-MAIL ARM GRADE B- 

300 000 cens 

AUTO-MAIL LEG GRADE A- 

600 000 cens 

AUTO-MAIL LEG GRADE B- 

400 000 cens 

AUTO-MAIL ARM REPAIR- 

10 000- 400 000 cens 

AUTO-MAIL LEG REPAIR- 

10 000- 500 000 cens 

CUSTOM- MADE ARM OR LEG- 

Negotiable 

AUTO-MAIL ARM AND/OR LEG

INSTALLATION- 

10 000- 20 000 cens 

"Looks like a lot of money," Kyo said.

"Most of these prices are actually negotiable," the man said. "It's very hard to turn a person that needs a limb down because of a lack of money."

"Is auto-mail only used for prosthetics?" Kyo asked him.

"Most of it is. It's strong but lightweight so a person can wear it with ease," the man said. "Of course, he has to be very careful about heat and stuff like that. It's still vulnerable to damage but the more expensive type is stronger than the cheaper type obviously."

"Can you make me an auto-mail, uh, rod?" Kyo asked.

"What size?" the man said.

"This long" Kyo replied, indicating his own height.

"Well I have to measure your exact height," the man said. "And it'll take a day or two to make a mold, mold it, carve it and finish it, but I can do it."

"I guess I need money, huh?" Kyo said.

"Yep" the man said. "It shouldn't be too expensive. How about 20 000 cens?"

"What!" Kyo said in disbelief. "That's a lot of money for a simple rod!"

"You wouldn't find a cheaper price elsewhere," the man said.

"I'll come back when I get enough money," Kyo said.

"My business is open until five!" the man yelled as the orange-head walked away grumbling about wars and inflation.

'I guess I shouldn't be surprised if prices are high' Kyo thought. 'I wonder where the wars are. I don't want to go to a war zone if I can help it.' He then thought for a moment. 'How am I suppose to get 20 000?'

"Excuse me," a little girl's voice caused Kyo to look down. It was a brown-haired girl with pigtails. In her hands were a few coins.

"Yes?" Kyo said.

"I want a kitty cat," the girl said. "I have money if you want it."

"Huh?" Kyo said. He then saw that all sorts of cats were at his feet. Some had auto-mail limbs. Why not? "How much do you have there?"

"Would 1000 cens do?" the girl asked.

"That would be fine," Kyo said. The girl then gave him the coins. "Okay, take your pick." The girl picked a calico kitty.

"Thank you" the girl said. She then walked away. Kyo looked at the money in his hands.

'This is 1000? And I thought the yen was bad' Kyo thought. 'Oh well. Only 18 000 to go.' Just then he heard the girl's voice again.

"Cat Man is selling kitties!" the girl yelled out to everybody.

"I'm not-" Kyo started to say when he saw children and a few adults walked his way.

"Are you really selling cats?" a man's voice called out.

"What is the price of a kitten?" a woman asked him.

"I want a black kitty!" a boy yelled out.

After a half-hour of selling kittens and cats, Kyo wiped his brow.

'That was way too easy' Kyo thought. He looked at the pile of coins in his pouch. 'I have to be halfway there. I wonder if I can buy another pouch for all of this.'

The sun was now almost all the way up in the sky, which suggest it was almost noon. The market was still full. As he walked down the street, he could hear all sort of shouting.

"BUY MY AUTO-MAIL PARTS!"

"BEST OF RUSH VALLEY! DON'T MISS THESE PRICES!"

"BEEN MAKING AUTO-MAIL PARTS FOR 15 YEARS! COME HERE FOR EXPERIENCED WORK!"

"REPAIRS DONE HERE! NO DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS YET!"

"HA! I BET THEY DON'T KNOW YOU MIX GOOD AUTO-MAIL WITH THE CHEAP STUFF!"

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF CHEATING MY CUSTOMERS!"

"I KNOW YOU! YOU BIG FRAUD!"

"WHY YOU-" a scuffle started. (In case you didn't realize, there were only two men shouting).

'These people are so weird' Kyo thought with a sweatdrop on his head. He then walked away from the scene of the fight. 'I got to find food. Even if I can't taste it, I still need to eat.'

It was a while before Kyo could find an unused stool to sit on. As he did so, a few cats went to him.

'This place is bigger than I thought' Kyo thought. 'Maybe I can find a library after all.' He then took out his watch from his pocket. 'I wonder if this thing actually has the right time.' He then stood up.

His presence did not escape the notice of the people around him.

"A State Alchemist?" the woman said. "That boy is a State Alchemist?"

"Mama, he got orange hair!" a boy said. He was being carried by his mother. "Can I have orange hair too?"

"Oh no Georgie," his mother said. "It looks so unnatural."

"It's real!" Kyo yelled out in response.

"It's the Cat Man!" a girl said (not the same one as before). "He's a State Alchemist too!"

"Are you still selling cats?" an old man asked.

"Hey wait!" Kyo said. "What's this about a State Alchemist?"

Not too far away, a pair of blue-uniformed men wearing the ranking of Warrant Officer on their shoulders, were walking.

"Are we lucky or what, Field? Of all the places they could have sent us, we had to be sent here!" a young, blond-haired man said to his brown-haired companion.

"Yeah, it surely is peaceful here, Marshall," he said, looking on as a couple of kids played marbles. "But we can't think we're safe. I heard that even Central is having problems."

"I heard about that," Field said. "The Scar guy has been spotted there." They then shuddered.

"We are lucky," Marshall said. Just then they heard a commotion.

"What is this?" Field said. They walked up the street. They saw a group of people around an orange-haired young man. In his left hand was a pouch. In his other hand there was a State Alchemist watch.

"A State Alchemist? At his age?" Marshall said.

"Age has nothing to do with alchemical ability," Field said. "You do know the Fullmetal Alchemist was only twelve when he became one."

"I know that!" Marshall said. "Still I'm sure if an orange-haired kid became a State Alchemist, we would have heard it by now."

"I guess it'll not hurt to ask," Field said. "But remember that if he's a State Alchemist, we have to be respectful, okay?"

"I know" Marshall said. He then walked into the crowd. "Hey you! This is Sergeant Marshall! What's your name? What's your registration code?"

At first, the orange-haired kid said nothing. But then his eyes widened, as if he realized he was the one that was being asked the questions. He then put the pouch inside his shirt, and his watch inside one of his pockets, and ran off.

"I knew it! He's an imposter!" Marshall said. At that, Field ran.

"Stop! You're under arrest and-" Field started to say. Cats had encircled him, preventing him from going any further. "What the-?"

"I'll get him!" Marshall yelled. He went through the crowd, which made it difficult for the cats to block him. Still some of the cats tried to follow him. The crowd let them all through.

In the meantime, Kyo was still running. He suddenly stopped and sat down to a building with a ground window.

'I hope I lost them,' Kyo thought. 'They asked for my name and my registration code. They must think that I'm an illegal alien.' He then went back against the wall. 'How am I going to get enough money to buy a rod now?' He took out the watch from his pocket and looked at it. 'Well at least I have a few more hours left.' At that, he heard a voice from inside the window.

"Alright, men! Put your money on the table, and let the rumble begin!" a man's voice yelled out. Kyo looked inside the window, wondering what was going on.

Kyo saw a group of men, some of them smoking, around a chalk ring. He then realized some sort of fighting match was starting.

"Now the rules are simple: win. If you're the last man standing, you'll get all the money on the table. But if you can't stand up or you get out of the ring, you lose. Got it? Now sign up for the fight and we'll pick out names by lot" a big-mouthed man said.

'I wonder how much money one can win' Kyo thought. 'If I won, I can buy the rod and maybe even have some change left over.' He then saw cats coming to him. 'I hope nobody else is coming after me.' He then made up his mind.

"Stay away from the window!" Kyo told the cats. "Because I'm going in!" At that, he went feet-first through the window. (Note: Don't try this at home. You'll get hurt).

SMASH! Glass shattered everywhere, causing a few shocked men to duck for cover.

"What the-?" the big-mouthed man said. He was at the other side of the room.

"It's a kid with orange hair!" a bulky-muscled man said. He had an auto-mail left arm.

"He went right through a glass window!" a mustached man said in alarm. He had a snake tattoo on his right bicep.

"Are you okay, kid?" the big-mouthed man inquired. "That was amazing by the way."

"I'm fine," Kyo replied. He stood up erect. He then looked all over himself. "Wow, I really didn't hurt himself!" He then looked at all the men there. "Um, is this only for people with auto-mail parts?"

"Of course not," the big-mouthed man said. He then smiled. "But you should just observe for now. I don't see any meat in those bones of yours, if you know what I mean."

"You don't need big muscles to compete in a fight," Kyo said. At that, all the men laughed.

"Perhaps, if they are equal in muscle size, but a weaker man cannot succeed against a stronger man like me," the moustached man said.

"That's what you say," Kyo said. "I know how to use my own body against a stronger opponent. All I need is to exploit my opponent's body against itself in the fight."

"An interesting concept," the moustached man said, in a thoughtful pose. "But can you prove it?"

"I can fight you if you want me to prove it" Kyo said.

"Are you challenging me to a fight?" the moustached man asked.

"I am Kyo Sohma, a karate student of Shishou Kazuma Sohma, a black-belt master and teacher of karate," Kyo said. "If you want to prove that muscle is all you need to win in a fight, I'll accept any challenge of any man in this room. Who shall fight against me?"

All men stood, stunned by this open challenege.

The moustached man smiled.

"I am John Henry, a man who made a living off the railroad tracks when an accident caused me to lose my right arm. That is why I'm here in Rush Valley- it's the best place for an amputee like me. Do you want to eat your words now?" the man said.

"Do I have to pay a fee to take part?" Kyo asked, looking at the other men.

"You have to place your bet on the table," the big-mouthed man responded, pointing to a large wooden table. "When you do, you can fight and try to win all of the money as long as a part of it was yours."

"That sounds good to me," Kyo said. He then poured all the money he had in the pouch onto the table. All the men looked at him in shock.

"That's about 10 000 cens!" John Henry yelled.

"Really? How much is there on the table already?" Kyo asked.

"We haven't counted it yet but we usually get about 20 000 cens," he replied.

'That would be enough to buy the rod' Kyo thought. 'I can go back after I win this.' He then remembered the blue-uniformed men that were chasing him before. 'Dammit! I can't go out while I'm still in pursuit! I'll have to find another way!'

"Well, Kee-oh? Are you still going to fight with me?" the moustached man said.

"I didn't say that I wouldn't fight you!" Kyo said. He put his pouch just outside the ring. He pulled up his sleeves. "Let's fight!" They went inside the ring.

"Alright!" the big-mouthed man said. He put his right arm up. "First match of the rumble: John Henry, the Hand Wrecker versus Kee-oh, um, the skinny guy with the orange hair."

"Wonder how he got his hair like that?" a red-haired man asked a companion.

"Orange juice, perhaps?" his black-haired companion suggested. Kyo looked pissed.

"It's natural!" Kyo shouted. That shut the men up.

"Okay, let's get this over with," the big-mouthed man said. "Go!" At once, the man put down his arm.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd chanted. Kyo immediately crouched down, walking sideways as he did so.

'What is he doing?' John Henry thought. He saw Kyo's focused eyes. 'I see. He is trying to find my weak spot. I'll have to win before he can get an upper hand in this! I shall strike him down before that happens-' And with that, John Henry swung his right arm, taking a step forward to do so.

"Yahhhhh!" he yelled. But Kyo met him with his own right arm. He stood his ground, forcing John Henry to use his other arm for support. Kyo did the same.

As for Kyo, he was struggling.

'Man, this guy is good,' Kyo thought. He then had an idea. "Hey you!" He yelled at the big-mouthed man. "Is there anything I can't do inside the ring?"

"You can do anything inside the ring, as long as it doesn't affect the people outside," the big-mouthed man said. "Though we do appreciate if you don't make a mess or burn this place down or cause a massive explosion."

'Fair enough,' Kyo thought. He then let go of John Henry's hands and went back. The big man waited for the orange-head to make his next turn. He didn't have to wait for long.

"Hyaaah!" Kyo yelled as he swung his left leg at him. The man blocked it with his right hand. Kyo then swung at him with his right hand. The man returned with a jab at Kyo's chin.

"You should know that martial arts is not unknown in this place," the man said. Kyo stood there, thinking.

"Hyaaah!" Kyo then aimed to punch him with his left hand.

"An amateur mistake-" John Henry started to say when he had to block with his left hand. Kyo's right hand was inside it. "That was clever of you, but you left yourself wide open for a-" and before Kyo could respond, John Henry punched him right on the forehead. Blood came down his face.

Kyo went down onto the ground. He seemed to look stunned.

"I guess you're not used to an auto-mail hand hitting your head," the man said. He then became astonished when Kyo got up. "What are you!"

"He got up after that! He must have an auto-mail skull!" a man from the crowd exclaimed.

"Was that a punch? I hardly felt it!" Kyo said as blood came down his face. 'Still how can I defeat him and get the money?' he thought.

"Hey, Vern, can I increase my wager?" a man in a white dirty shirt asked the big-mouthed man.

"Yeah can I change my wager too?" another man asked, putting up his hand.

'What am I going to do?' Kyo thought. 'He got auto-mail limbs. How am I suppose to get him out of the ring without- hmm?' He then noticed something.

'This ring has two rings- like an alchemical circle!' Kyo now realized. 'I got an idea! I only hope it'll work!' He then started running toward John Henry.

"You think you can- huh?" the big man then saw Kyo trip on the ground. He then rolled to the other side of the ring. "You're alright, son? If you get yourself hurt, you'll have to forfeit the match."

"I'm not giving up," Kyo said. "In fact, I think I like it over here."

"I see" John Henry said. "Well, I don't know what your plan is, son, but I'm going to end it right now!"

Kyo slid from the right to the left, avoiding the fist that John Henry threw at him. Kyo planted his feet at the corner.

'He's quick!' the big man thought.

Kyo then slid his feet sideways at an obtuse angle as he carefully watched the big man.

"Are you going to get me or what?" Kyo yelled to him.

"Why, you arrogant punk!" John Henry said, then tried to run at him. Kyo dodged it, sliding his feet as he did so.

"Wow! He's quick!" a man, who had his sleeveless arms crossed, said.

'All I need now is to draw a -' Kyo was interrupted by his thought when his opponent raised his leg at him. The orange-head simply flipped over it. He ran to the other side of the ring.

"No, you don't!" John Henry said. He then lunged at him. Kyo dodged that too, but he went too far back and lost his balance.

"Remember that you need to be out by a whole foot to be out of the ring," Vern the big-mouthed man warned them. John Henry stepped back. He then looked at Kyo, who was skittering away from him on his butt.

"Tired now?" the big man said. "All I have to do is to throw you out of the ring!" He then lunged at Kyo the second time.

"I don't think so," Kyo said, thrusting out his right foot at his face.

"Ugh!" John Henry said, putting his hands on his bloodied face.

'I can do the rest now-' Kyo thought as he slid his right foot across to the other side of the ring. 'It's complete!'

"You scum!" John Henry yelled. He then looked at Kyo in anger.

"You're done with!" Kyo said. "I'm going to blow you out of this ring!"

"You got some powers, boy?" the big man said. He then saw Kyo trying not to laugh. "Huh? What's the matter?"

"You fool!" Kyo laughed. "You have no idea what I have done! Look below!" The man did. He started sweating.

'A triangle with a line across it!' he thought in alarm.

"Now I'm going to activate it-" Kyo said. He then placed both of his hands on the ground.

"NOOO!" John Henry screamed, terrified.

WHOOSH! A strong wind came out from the ground and blew everything- and everyone- off the ground and at the wall, farthest away where Kyo was.

"Uh…" Kyo started to say. He then saw the table with the money on it. "Well, I did win that rumble!"

He then began to fill his pouch with the coins.

'I hope the inflation rate doesn't rise when I come to that guy's shop' Kyo thought. 'Any higher and I'll have to barter.'

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Hello? Oh, it's you!" the auto-mail guy said when he saw Kyo at his door.

"I got your money and if you don't like it, then I'll go to another man!" Kyo yelled out. He then showed him the big pouch filled with coins.

"Don't be absurd! Come in!" the auto-mail man said. At that, Kyo went inside.

"You said 20 000 right?" Kyo said as he put the pouch down.

"I believe so," the man said. He then eyed the money. "How did you get so much money in a short time?"

"It wasn't easy," Kyo said, counting the money. He then threw all the coins on the floor. "Here! I don't know your stupid currency so count it yourself!"

"I think all of this will suffice" the auto-mail man said, looking down at the coins that were thrown. He then looked at Kyo. "You said you wanted a long rod?"

"Yeah" Kyo said. He then got up. "I want it this high." At that Kyo then raised his hand up to his forehead.

"Well I got to measure you first," the man said. "Why don't you stay with me until I'm done? Unless you have another place to go to?"

"Oh no!" Kyo said, feeling happy that he is not in a home of a State Alchemist. So he stayed there for the day.

"Here you go," the man said. "I cooled it down so you can touch it now." Kyo took it from him. He was wide-eyed.

"This feels so light!" Kyo said. "You sure this is steel?"

"It's auto-mail," the man said. "It's light yet very strong. Since you gave me a bundle of money, I figured the least I could do is make you a rod of the highest-quality auto-mail."

"Yeah thanks," Kyo said. 'This rod is sure going to help me,' he thought. 'I feel like-like-'

He then had a flashback of Arisa Uotani, holding a rod just like his.

BONK! Kyo hit his head with the rod. Blood came down his face, alarming the man who made the rod for him.

"There is blood coming down your face!" the man said. Kyo put his fingers on his forehead and looked at the blood in his fingers.

"Oh so it is," Kyo said, wiping the blood from his forehead.

'Who is this guy?' the man thought. 'He whacked himself on the head with a metal rod and he didn't even feel it?' Kyo then went to the door.

"You can keep the receipt," Kyo said. He then looked at the man. "Uh, have you seen any blue-suit people?"

"What!" the man said, his pipe almost falling out of his mouth. "What on earth did you do!"

"NOTHING! I SWEAR!" Kyo said out loud. He then calmed down. "But can you tell me who they are?"

"They are not to be messed around, that's what!" the man said. "My advice for you is to lay low and get out of here as fast as you can! Do you hear me?"

"I wasn't planning on staying here!" Kyo said. Anger marks appeared all over his orange head. "In any case, I'll be off. If I need to have this thing fixed, I can go back here again, right?"

"Uh, sure" the man said, not knowing what else to say.

"Okay, then," Kyo said. "I'm off!" At that, he went out the door.

"Is he gone now?" a woman's voice suddenly called out.

"Yes, Beatrice, he's gone" the man said. All of a sudden a dark-haired woman appeared from a room.

"I don't know about him," the woman said. "He had orange hair. Did you see that? He had ORANGE HAIR!"

"He sure looks to be human," her husband said. "And he brought us a whole bunch of money too. I wonder why he wanted a rod in the first place."

"DAMMIT!" Kyo shouted. He was running through the street. Marshall and Field were running after him.

'Why on earth are they running after me?' Kyo thought. 'I didn't break any laws- as far as I know!' He then saw that a horse-cart filled with straw was ahead of him, blocking his path. 'Damn!'

"Excuse me!" Kyo yelled. He then jumped- without ever touching the cart- onto the bales of hay and walked over them without using his hands to help him.

The two blue-uniformed men stopped when they saw this.

"Did you see that, Marshall? He didn't even stop!" Field said.

"Move out of the way!" Marshall ordered the cart driver. The cart driver complied. "Damn! He got away!"

"Look at the footprints" Field said. "If I'm right, he's going straight out of town!"

"Indeed" Marshall said. "Come, Field, we may not be able to outrun him, but we can still outsmart him!"

"Right!" Field said. They then separated, Marshall going to the left and Field going to the right. They knew that if they could corner him, they had a better chance of defeating him. What they didn't know was that the cats also followed them as well.

'Man, now I know why this place is called Rush Valley,' Kyo thought. 'It's a good thing I got so much training. I'll be breathless by now if I didn't.' He then went down onto the ground. 'I got to make a plan. Once I get to the city, I'll go find a library- there has to be one in a city- and get all the books I can find and-'

BANG! DINK! A gunshot rang out, hitting Kyo's newly made rod. Needless to say, Kyo jumped up.

"What the hell!" Kyo said out loud. He then saw one of the blue-uniformed men aiming a rifle at him.

'Eep!' Kyo thought as he took his bag and rod and started running.

"Hey! You're under arrest!" the blond-haired man yelled.

"I don't think he's listening to you," the brown-haired man said.

"Let's go after him! We can't let him go away!" the blond-haired man said.

"Right!" the brown-haired man said. So Warrant Officers Field and Marshall went after him.

'What on earth did I do?' Kyo thought. 'If they didn't have guns, I would have faced them.' Meanwhile, bullets were whizzing past him. He suddenly stopped.

"DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME OR SOMETHING?" Kyo yelled out. "YOU CAN HURT ME, YOU KNOW!"

"I don't understand. I either miss him or my shots fall before it even reaches him," Field said.

"Let me try" Marshall said. He then let out a few shots of his own from his own gun.

With ninja-like speed, Kyo caught all three bullets with the auto-mail rod. He then took out a bullet.

'He took out a bullet with his bare hand!' Field thought with a sweatdrop coming down his head.

"This is a real- ahhh!" Kyo yelled. "I'm touching a real bullet!" He then dropped it. Field and Marshall looked at each other.

"Sir, we do not know who or what you are, but you're under arrest. If you continue to resist, we shall lay more charges against you," Marshall said. Both of them now aim their guns directly at him.

'Damn' Kyo thought. What was he supposed to do now?

Just then Kyo saw cats appearing from behind the men. They looked like as if they were waiting for something. Kyo then had an idea.

"NOW!" Kyo yelled, putting down his right arm.

At first, the two officers looked confused, but then cats jumped on them. They screamed as the cats went wild on them, scratching and biting their clothes and faces.

'Good riddance,' Kyo thought. It was time for him to go. Without even looking at the poor men being mauled, Kyo headed for the east, where he hoped his quest for home could be found.

End of Chapter Seven

Thank you for your patience. If you read my notes (and I hope that you did), you'll know why it took so long for me to do this. In any event, if you're interested, you could look at my profile- there are plenty of other works available for reading. Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz. I hope everyone had a nice summer and for those that are still young enough, have a good school year! And do not forget to review!

Chapter Eight: Havoc in East City (yes this is a pun and a spoiler)


	8. Havoc in East City

**Chapter Eight of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

I know what you are all thinking: 'Why did it take so long for you to update this?' I know it seemed to be a long time but I got my reasons. First of all, I had to finish or update my other stories that were of higher priority. Second, the chapter was longer than I first planned. And third, I have been very busy- trying to find a job and dealing with Mom's cat, Buzz, who practically took over the household from Mom since he arrived. But I did not forget this story.

In case you all are still wondering when the familiar FMA characters will show up, relax. From now on, I'll slowly put them in the story. There is a reason (well a few) why I didn't dump Kyo right in Central City. First, the fic would have been a lot shorter and too rushed. Second, I wanted Kyo to meet the few characters that do not live in Central. And third, I wanted Kyo to be like Tsukasa of .hack/sign- wandering aimlessly in this strange world without knowing exactly how he got there, and meeting various characters along the way. I could only achieve all of this by having Kyo dumped somewhere in the East, with him going to Central on his own. (I got another reason, but I think that some of my deep-thinking readers may get it).

I like to thank all that reviewed so far. Chapter Seven alone had thirteen reviews! I don't know where you all came from (well except for Rayame325) but thanks just the same!

I also like to make one final reminder that you got one more chapter to decide on Favourite Chapter and Favourite Character for my e-mail poll. Rules are in Chapter Five.

I should also note that because of the original works, this story might contain some violence, profanity and a few sexual references. For some readers, reader discretion is advised.

This chapter will contain some FMA manga spoilers. You've been warned.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"What shall I do now?" Kyo asked himself.

It was after four o'clock, according to the pocket watch. He was sitting on a riverbank, watching the water flow. He had his book open.

'This book seems valuable, but it has caused lots of trouble for me,' Kyo thought. 'What really is this book?' He then put it down and collected all the money from the bag. 'Knowing the prices around here, I might need more money very soon. But how am I going to get more money and not get into more trouble?'

Just then he saw some cats try to catch fish from the river. One of them, a brown-haired cat with an auto-mail leg, caught a fish in its mouth and placed it in front of Kyo.

"Well, I could use it for supper" Kyo said. An idea then came to him. "Why don't I catch some fish and sell them when I get to the closest town?" He then looked at the cats. "Get one more fish!" he commanded the cats. All of a sudden all the cats went to the river and started to catch fish by the bushels.

"That's a lot of fish," Kyo said. He suddenly realized something. "I don't have anything to put all of this in! I can put them in my pouch but I don't want my pouch to smell fishy! My book might be ruined by the fish!" (Note: Kyo meant the pages of the book).

"Wait a minute…" Kyo said. He then opened his book. "I can use the pages of this book! Now let's see…" He flipped through the pages. "There are pages with only text in them! I don't think I would need to know all these words!"

A monumental decision came to him.

RIP! RIP! RIP! Kyo tore the pages from the spine of the book. A dozen pages laid on the grass.

"I'm done now," Kyo said. There were now twelve manuscript-wrapped fish in his pouch. All the cats were around him trying to get at his pouch. "Now to sell all of this fish."

"FISH FOR SALE! AH, VERY FRESH FISH! A DOZEN TO SELL!" the orange-head yelled out. "FISH FOR- OW! STOP THAT! THIS FISH IS NOT FOR YOU! OW! STOP THAT!"

"Who is that?" a man said, looking at him.

"How on earth did he get his hair like that?" a woman said. They watched as the orange-head tried to sell fish at a street corner.

"Look at him, Louise," the man said. "Those cats are really getting at him!"

"If those cats want the fish so much…" the woman started to say. She then looked at her husband. They both went to Kyo along with a few other people that noticed him and the cats.

"What type of fish are you selling?" another man asked Kyo.

"How fresh are they?" a woman yelled out.

"How much is a small one?" a boy asked.

As for Kyo, he found himself surrounded by all sorts of people, wanting a piece of fresh fish. Kyo opened his pouch and pulled out a bunch of fish though he had to walk through cats that were willing to scratch at his legs in order to try to get at the fish. Kyo of course noticed this.

"It's fresh, uh, trout from a river nearby," Kyo replied, looking inside the pouch. "And, uh, the price of the fish is, uh, negotiable."

"I got five hundred cens!" a dark-haired man yelled, showing him some coins.

"I want a really big fish!" another man with a beard and moustache spoke out.

"Can I get a few little fishes?" a woman asked him.

"Can I have a cat?" a boy said.

Almost a half hour later, Kyo was walking down with his pouch jingling with money and fewer cats following him (yes he sold a few cats). He saw people selling things in the market. He decided to ask someone for directions.

"Excuse me," Kyo said to an old man sweeping in front of his door. "But do you know if this place has a library?"

"Of course! This is East City!" the old man said.

"Really? I thought this was just a large town!" Kyo said. (Note: For someone that lived in Tokyo all his life, this would be the case).

"The library's on the road to your right," the old man replied, pointing to the raod. Kyo turned to see a well-paved road going east.

"Ah, thank you," Kyo said. "Do you know if it has alchemy books and French dictionaries?"

"I don't know about French dictionaries, but I would imagine that it would have alchemy books," the old man said. He then looked at him with one eye. "Are you a State Alchemist?"

"Oh no!" Kyo said. "I just want to find something out!"

"Well, you can't miss it" the old man said. "It's a big building with a big sign in front of it."

"Thank you sir," Kyo said, bowing down. And with that he followed the man's direction to the library.

Kyo indeed saw the library sign and entered the big building. He then was faced with a momentous task.

'How do I find alchemy books in this place?' Kyo thought. There were rows of tall shelves with signs on the front, indicating the subject and classification number. But Kyo couldn't see any section on alchemy.

'This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack,' Kyo thought. He took out the pocket watch. 'I can stay here until seven, I guess. If this watch is correct, it's only five o'clock.' It was then when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Excuse me, but can I help you?" Kyo turned to see a brown-haired man with glasses looking at him.

"I'm, ah, looking for books on alchemy," Kyo said. The man then saw that he had a golden pocket watch in his hand.

"Oh! I see!" the librarian said. "Well, you can do your research in the private archives that has over a thousand works of alchemy. Of course they're all catalogued for your convenience."

"Really?" Kyo said. "Do you have French dictionaries too?"

"If you want one, I can look for one in the Language section," the librarian said. "Follow me." So Kyo did.

"This is our reference room," the librarian said. Kyo saw hundreds of books and other documents at once. "You will have almost a thousand works at your disposal. You can stay until six if you want."

"Can I borrow any of them?" Kyo asked him.

"Those from here are not for borrowing," the librarian answered. "But you're welcome to make notes and come back for more. But the books in the general section of the library can be borrowed if you need to."

After a while, Kyo found himself in a heap of manuscripts and books. Using a dictionary, Kyo went through them using his notepad. He wrote every symbol he saw with the English word. Finally, he put down his pen.

'I wish I wasn't just in second year,' Kyo thought. 'I know only the basic English words and phrases.' He then picked up a book and opened it. It was in Latin. 'I'm not sure if this is English!' Just then he saw a shadow come over him.

"Excuse me, but are you looking for something?" a man's voice caused Kyo to look up. A tall, dark-haired man in a black jacket looked down at him.

"Who are you?" Kyo asked, not sure whether to go away or not.

"My name is Jack Sharp," the man replied. "May I ask what is your name?"

"Kyo Sohma," the orange-head replied. "But call me Kyo."

"Kee-oh eh?" the man said. "You appear to be a newcomer here. I suppose this is your first time here."

"Oh yes!" Kyo said. "I can't believe there are so many books here! I only wish I could understand most of them, though."

"Alchemy books are very hard to decipher," the man said. "I'm actually from Central but the main library there got burned down so I have been visiting here when I get the chance." He then looked down at the book Kyo had in his hands. "Isn't that Flamel?"

"Yeah…" Kyo started to say.

"Where on earth did you get such a book?" Mr. Sharp asked. "I don't think that even Central have that work!"

"I got it from my cousin Shigure" Kyo said. "Can you, like, go away? I'm trying to study."

"Don't mind me, then," Mr. Sharp said. He then walked away. Kyo felt very relieved.

'Thank you from above,' Kyo thought. He then went back to his work. The man that was talking with him went to the other side of the room but he was still watching him.

In the meantime, Kyo was getting dumber and dumber.

'The books aren't helping me one bit,' Kyo thought. 'I really need a teacher. But who can teach me for free and without being a State Alchemist?' He then heard a chair being moved.

"I'm not the librarian, but I see that you're having trouble. Are you sure you don't need help?" Mr. Sharp asked behind him.

"I'm still new at this thing," Kyo said without thinking. "I've been only in this country for a few days. This alchemy thing is really complicated."

"Eh?" Jack Sharp said. "You do know about alchemy, right?" Kyo snorted.

"Not a whole lot" Kyo replied. This shocked the man.

"Do you know where you're at?" Jack Sharp asked.

"I'm in a room filled with useless alchemy books," Kyo said. He then looked at Jack Sharp. "What about it?"

"I think there must have been a misunderstanding," the man said.

"What do you mean?" Kyo said. The man pointed to the door. There was a sign. It reads:

STATE ALCHEMISTS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL ONLY PAST THIS POINT- SPECIAL CONSENT OTHERWISE REQUIRED

"Wait a minute! What does it mean by 'special consent?'" Kyo asked.

"You need special permission from a top military personnel, preferably the King, before you can go here," Jack Sharp told him.

"What!" Kyo said. "But I got in just fine!"

"Maybe the librarian assumed you were a State Alchemist…" Jack Sharp said. He then saw the pocket watch hanging from Kyo's pocket. "You!"

"Huh?" Kyo said, noticing the change of expression on the man's face. "What?"

"What is your registration code, Kee-oh?" the man asked sternly.

"You're one of them too!" Kyo said, grabbing his book and pointing his left finger at him.

"I don't know what you mean by 'them' but I'm Jack Sharp, the Sharp Blade Alchemist and huh?" He then saw Kyo get out of his chair.

"Ahhhh! You're a State Alchemist!" Kyo said. He then ran to the door.

"Oh no you don't!" Jack Sharp said. He then produced a series of steel blades from his hands and shot them at Kyo. The orange-head ducked in time. The blades embedded themselves on the door.

"Eep!" Kyo said. He then kicked down the door and dashed out of the library. The librarian saw this and got puzzled.

"That man is a State Alchemist imposter!" Jack Sharp told him. "Call the authorities at once! Tell them he's running down Main Street!"

Kyo ran as fast as he could down the street. There was no doubt in his mind that every State Alchemist knew who he was and was out to get him.

'I still don't know what I did wrong, but I wouldn't let anyone get my book!' Kyo thought. He then stopped when he saw a fruit cart in front of him. 'Damn!'

"I'm gonna-" Kyo started to say when he jumped over the cart. The cart driver looked back in amazement.

'Where can I go now?' Kyo thought. He then saw two blue-uniformed men chasing him. 'Oh no! They're here too!' He went to the right to escape them.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Kyo yelled out as he pushed people out of the way. He ran down the street. He then saw more blue-clothed men at the other side of the street. 'Damn! I'm blocked!' What can he do now?

"Whoa there! Don't run for it! You're surrounded!" a man, carrying a rifle, said. He put his right hand up as a gesture. Almost every uniformed man also pointed his weapon at him.

Kyo backed away, until he heard clicking noises behind him. Sure enough, all the men from both sides had their weapon at him. Kyo could count a dozen on each side at least. Not even a gang of cats could take them out (though that doesn't mean they'll not try).

Kyo decided to do another approach.

He put his pouch inside his shirt and took out his auto-mail rod. The men looked apprehensive.

All of a sudden he used the rod as a vaulting pole and managed to land on the tarpaulin roof of a shop.

"Fire!" one of the men commanded. The men did as ordered, but none of the shots reached Kyo. The bullets either fell before it could hit him or they missed.

"What are you- ahh!" the shopkeeper came out, yelling, then stopped when he saw it was the military.

"There is a wanted man above you" the commander explained. "It's best for you to stay inside for now."

"Just don't shoot at my tarpaulin!" the man said.

"We're trying not to!" the blue-uniformed man said. "Stay inside just in case." The man did as ordered.

"I don't think our bullets are hitting him, sir!" another man yelled, pointing up at the building.

"What the hell!" the leader said. Everyone now looked up.

Kyo, in the meantime, was climbing up the building by holding onto the edges of the bricks. He steadied himself with the auto-mail rod as he did so. All of the men, in fact everyone that was on the street at that time, watched this in amazement.

"He's not human!" a woman shouted.

"Hey!" Kyo yelled. He stopped to yell that at her.

"What should we do now?" one of the men asked his commander.

"Get backup," the older man said, looking upward as Kyo got on the real roof and ran across it. He then shocked everyone when he disappeared off the roof.

"Find him!" the commander ordered. "And don't shoot unless he's in close range!" All of the men then scattered as the search for the orange-haired guy commenced.

As for Kyo, he was running down a new street.

'What in hell did I do?' Kyo thought. 'I mean, it's not my fault the stupid librarian didn't ask if I was a State Alchemist or not!' Kyo then saw that a car was driving right at him!

"Ah!" Kyo said. He then jumped onto the front of the car and then leaped over it, and kept on running. The car stopped.

"He didn't even stop!" the driver said, looking back at him.

'Where can I go to escape them? They seem to be everywhere!' Kyo thought. He then stopped in front of a shop. 'Now if this is East City, and I can go further east, will I be able to get out of this place or-'

All of a sudden, Kyo felt strong hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him through the door.

"Wha-?" Kyo said when he finally stopped. He caught a whiff of tobacco as he went in.

"Welcome! I thought no one would respond to the help ad!" the man said. Kyo looked at him. He had grey hair and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Oh no, I didn't see any sign," Kyo said, waving his hand. The man simply smiled.

"Well, you just hit the jackpot!" the man said. "I need a cashier for my shop and you just came in!"

"What do you mean, I just came in? You pulled me here!" Kyo said with anger marks all over his head.

Just then a knock was heard on the door.

Before Kyo knew it, he was in a barrel with the lid closed. Annoyed, Kyo shook the barrel.

"Stop that if you know what's good for you" the man said in a very low voice. Kyo complied, not knowing what the man would do if he didn't.

He then heard the door open.

"Ah, General Mills! It's nice to see you again!" the man said.

"Mr. Havoc, I wish that my visit was a social one, but I'm looking for a criminal," the older man said. His voice sounded familiar to Kyo.

"I haven't seen any strange faces today," the man said. "What does he look like?" Kyo couldn't believe it. This strange man was covering up for him!

"A strange-looking man at that. He looked human enough, but he have orange hair, and cats have been reported following him," General Mills said. "And he had a brown leather- bound book. A State Alchemist named Jack Sharp said that it's an alchemy book." Kyo cursed himself. All his encounters with State Alchemists have been nothing but trouble!

"Sorry, sir. Haven't seen any one like that yet," Mr. Havoc said. Why is this man lying for him?

"Alright. I'll come back later. How is your son Jean by the way?" General Mills asked him.

"The same, I'm afraid," the other man replied. "He's doing some exercises to strengthen his upper muscles, but that's the most he can do for the moment."

"That's too bad," General Mills said. A few seconds elapsed. "Well I should go now. Tell your wife and Jean that I wished them well."

"Sure thing" Mr. Havoc said. "I wish you well too! See you later!" Kyo then heard the door being shut. "Boy, you are safe for now!" Kyo pushed himself out of the barrel.

"I need to ask a few questions," Kyo said. "First, who was that man? Second, why did you lie to him for my sake? And third, what do you want with me anyway?"

"I don't mean any harm," Mr. Havoc said. "In fact, I do need help for my shop. My son is still not in any shape to help me."

"So why did you lie about me to that man?" Kyo questioned.

"You are not convinced of my sincerity?" Mr. Havoc said.

"Why would a stranger help me?" Kyo asked. He then looked at his pouch. "Unless you're after my book too!"

"If that book is the alchemy book General Mills was talking about, then I am not interested," the man said. "Now, you know my name. What is your name?"

"Kyo Sohma. Call me Kyo," the orange-head replied.

"Well, Kee-oh, I like to introduce you to your workplace" Mr. Havoc said. Kyo was about to object when the man pushed him to the counter. "All I need for you to do is to answer the phone and take notes if you need to."

"Where's the phone?" Kyo asked, looking around.

"That's the phone," Mr. Havoc said, pointing at it. Kyo looked shocked.

"That's a phone!" Kyo said. "How do you operate it?" He then poked his fingers inside the holes of the dial. "This isn't a touch-tone!"

"A what?" the man said. He then scratched his head. "I suppose that there are different types of phones. I'll show how to use this one." So Mr. Havoc taught Kyo how to use the telephone.

"Hello, uh, Havoc's General Store? You want to know the hours of the store? Read the sign in front! Do you know how to read?" SLAM!

"How much is a bag of potatoes? Probably a lot, knowing your guys' stupid currency!" SLAM!

"Where is this store located? How am I supposed to know? I was picked up from the street and forced to work here!" SLAM!

"Well, that's three phone calls so far," Kyo said. He then looked behind him and saw that his employer was looking right at him red faced. The man then smiled.

"You know, maybe you're not meant for customer service. I should assign you another job," Mr. Havoc said. Kyo looked a little hopeful. He then handed him a tray. "Why don't you attend to my son Jean? He needs his food now."

'At least I don't have to answer that stupid phone,' Kyo thought as he carried the tray to the door. He knocked first.

"It's open," a male voice said. Kyo opened the door.

"Your food is ready," Kyo said as he entered the room. He saw a young, blond-haired man in a bed. He was smoking a cigarette. "You should get up."

"I can't move my legs," the young man told him.

"Oh, I didn't know that!" Kyo said. He then placed the tray on his stomach. "Can you, uh, lift yourself up with your arms?"

"Sure" the young man then put out his cigarette and put his hands on his bed, pushing himself upward. Kyo put the tray on his legs.

"If you don't mind me putting the tray on your legs-" Kyo said.

"It's all right," Jean said. "I can't feel them anyway."

"Really? You're absolutely paralyzed?" Kyo asked him.

"Only from my waist down" Jean said.

"Was it an accident?" Kyo wondered. Jean put his hand on his face.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Jean said. "It was really embarrassing." Kyo decided not to pursue the question. He looked around his room. On his drawer were a few pictures.

One of them was Jean in a blue uniform. It looked very familiar.

"AHHHHH! YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!" Kyo shouted. At that, he began to run toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jean asked.

"I'm leaving! You're one of those blue-uniformed people!" Kyo shouted.

"I WAS one of the blue-uniformed people," Jean said. "I was Second Lieutenant when I had to quit the service."

"You guys have ranks?" Kyo said.

"Well I was a Second Lieutenant," Jean said, looking up as he was thinking. "Above that is First Lieutenant-"

"Woah! What's the difference between First and Second Lieutenant?" Kyo asked.

"One star," Jean replied. Kyo apparently didn't get the joke.

"Your ranking is like the military, huh?" Kyo noted after a few minutes passed by.

"We are the military!" Jean said. Kyo stood there, as if he has been shot. "Um, you did knew that, right?" Kyo put his hands on his head.

'The military was chasing me!' Kyo thought. 'I'm in deep trouble!' He then looked at Jean again. "Listen, I don't know exactly why they want me, but I haven't done anything!"

"I don't think my father would allow you to be here if you did," Jean said. "If you didn't do anything wrong, do you have anything that they may want from you?"

"Yeah I do!" Kyo said. He then took out the book from his pouch. "This stupid book is an alchemy book and it's supposed to show how to make the Philosopher's Stone but-"

"You really mean it? The Philosopher's Stone?" Jean said.

"How am I suppose to know? I can't read the damn book!" Kyo said. He then turned away from him. "I just wished that one of your alchemists could help me, but all they want is the book for themselves! I just wished that I could get someone who could teach me without going-"

"Here!" Jean said. Kyo looked back at him and saw that he had a piece of paper in his left hand.

"What is this?" Kyo asked.

"This is the address and phone number of someone that will help you," Jean said. Kyo took the piece of paper and read it."

"What does 'Col.' mean?" Kyo inquired.

"Oops. I forogt you don't know military ranks," Jean said. "Here let me write the rest."

"A military rank? What do you mean? You mean he's a-" Kyo started to say.

"You don't know anything about the system, so I'll explain," Jean said. He then lit another cigarette. "As you can tell by the name, State Alchemists work for the government, or more accurately, the military. You can call them the special force group. They get special privileges, but they have to obey their military superiors. They can be like common soldiers, but they are not uniformed. In the military, they're considered equal to the Major rank but they don't really have any ranking within their group-"

"So how do State Alchemists get ranks?-" Kyo started to say.

"They have to join the military voluntarily," Jean said. "When they do, they start from Major and can work their way up."

'If that's the case, then this Col guy must really be a veteran' Kyo thought. He then put the note inside his book.

"You don't really trust me, do you?" Jean asked.

"Not really," Kyo replied.

"I don't want to know what you already saw," Jean said. "But don't think that every military personnel or State Alchemist is on the same level. There are a few who want to make things better."

"I suppose you are one of those people?" Kyo asked.

"Just go to Central. You can have your questions answered there," Jean replied a bit bluntly.

"So how am I supposed to go there?" Kyo asked him. 'Assuming that I do go,' he thought.

"DAD!" Jean yelled. All of a sudden the man appeared at the door.

"What is it, son?" Mr. Havoc asked him.

"How much is it for one person to go to Central by train?" Jean asked him.

"I reckon it's about 50, 000 cens," the man replied. "You want me to get the train fare list?"

"I can just walk," Kyo said. "I've been doing it ever since I've been here."

"You're an alien, boy?" Mr. Havoc said. This caught Kyo off-guard.

"Dad!" Jean said.

"It's alright, son" Mr. Havoc said. "I was planning to have him over for supper anyway."

"Thanks, but I-" Kyo started to say when the man wrapped his arm around his neck.

"You can tell your story at the table," Mr. Havoc said. "Come on! My wife's cooking is a true work of art!"

"Ulp-" Kyo said, but he quickly hanged onto his book as the man dragged him out of the room.

"So you used alchemy to come to this place and you can't remember what you exactly did to bring you here?" Mr. Havoc said.

"Yeah" Kyo answered, putting a fork into his mashed potatoes. "That is why I was in this city in the first place."

"Did you go to the library?" Mr. Havoc asked.

"I did, but that was when they found me out and I had to run away," Kyo replied.

"Why on earth would the authorities want you for?" Mrs. Havoc asked the orange-head. "Is it because you're an illegal alien?"

"I don't think that's any of our concern," Mr. Havoc said. "Now you don't seem the criminal kind, a bit rude perhaps, but you don't seem to be a bad person. If you want us to arrange for you to hitch a ride with the train-"

"Listen, I don't know this place. I don't know anyone in this country at all. All I want is to go home and live my life no matter how stupid it is. Because at least it's better than being chased by a bunch of maniacs or being part of a deranged alchemist's experiment!" Kyo said.

"Well then, maybe we should plan this out," Mr. Havoc said.

"You should leave by the 6:00 train. It would not be dark out, but you should be able to keep yourself out of sight until the next day," Jean said. They were all in his room again. I drew a map of the Central Headquarters so you would know where it is. I don't recommend that you walk right in, unless you want to be arrested on the spot."

"So what do you suggest-" Kyo started to say.

"Call the Colonel using the number I wrote down. It'll take you directly to his desk," Jean said. "Don't be surprised if he decides to take the call elsewhere. All phone calls are monitored inside the military base."

'This guy was once a member of those blue-clothed guys,' Kyo thought. 'Can I really trust this guy?'

"Anyway, you better get going," Mr. Havoc said. "The train will be at six o'clock and it's five o'clock already."

"Just be careful," Jean said. "The train will likely go through some towns on its way and there have been trouble already on some of the trains because of hijackings."

"I think that's the leasr of my worries," Kyo said. "Anyway, I should go now. Thanks for everything." At that, Kyo left.

"You think we should have told him where the train station is?" Mr. Havoc asked his son.

"I think he can figure that out for himself" Jean said. "I mean he managed to find this city and that is no easy feat on foot."

"He sure is a strange-looking fellow with that orange hair," Mrs. Havoc said. At that everyone nodded.

"Get him men!"

Kyo ran like the wind. The pouch in his hands, Kyo dodged every hand that tried to grab him as he hurried down the street.

'How am I suppose to find the train station when I'm being chased like this?' Kyo thought. 'If only I could- aha!' He then saw a big trash bin besides a big building. Kyo darted into the alley and put himself in it, closing the lid as he did so.

General Mills and his troop then entered the alley.

"Are you positive he went into here?" he asked them.

"We're positive! It's hard not to notice an orange-haired guy in the streets!" one of the soldiers said. The general then looked at the trash bin.

"Open that trash bin!" he ordered the man.

"You think he went inside that!" the man said in disbelief.

"Where else do you think he went in here?" General Mills said.

"Yes sir!" the man said. Kyo heard footsteps coming toward him. He grabbed onto his bracelet.

This was going to be so good.

As soon as the lid opened, Kyo removed his bracelet.

"Man, it sure stinks and ahhhhh!" the man screamed as Kyo was now in his monster form and he rose out of the trash bin, trying to look all scary.

"What is that thing?" one of the other men said. Some tried to aim their guns at Kyo, but they were already turning pale.

"Sir-sir, what-what do-do you-you-" a soldier started to say when he put up his sleeve and turned away. The general was getting pale himself.

"Retreat!" General Mills commanded. "Get away before the smell gets on all of us!"

"Yes sir!" all of the men shouted, running out of the alley as fast as they could. Most had their jackets covering their noses.

"Heh heh" Kyo said.

"At last! I found it!" Kyo said as soon as he saw the train station sign. "I can just grab a train and hey!" He saw a train pass by. "Oh no you don't! I want to get out of this crazy place!" He then grabbed onto the handle of the back door. Kyo then went inside.

"I got money for a ticket!" Kyo yelled. This caught the attention of everyone, including the attendant.

"That's great," the attendant said. "But couldn't you wait until we stop?"

"Huh?" Kyo said. All of a sudden, the train stopped, making Kyo fall in front of the attendant. The man looked down at the orange-head as Kyo got out his pouch.

"May I help you?" the attendant asked. Kyo got out a bunch of coins as he sat there on the aisle.

"I don't care where you put me," Kyo said. "But I want the cheapest seat possible, to the closest good town before nightfall. Got that?"

End of Chapter Eight

I hope I didn't confuse any of my readers on this chapter. Fullmetal Alchemist scanlations are available on the Internet so all you need to do is to search for them. I hope that the next chapter wouldn't take so long to do. And because I'm not likely going to be finished by the end of the year, regardless of your faith and culture, that you had a very good year and that you enjoy the rest of the year as well. I want all of you to be reading this when the New Year arrives, so don't do anything too stupid, okay?

In any case, "Akemashite Omedetou!" That means "Welcome to the New Year!" in Japanese. And do not forget to review!

Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and is distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and is distributed by Square Enix and Viz. No infringement was intended in the making of this story.

Next Chapter: Sensei from Hell (heh heh heh)


	9. Sensei From Hell

**Chapter Nine of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

Just a reminder that from this chapter onward, there'll be heavy FMA manga spoilers. The manga, which started in 2001, is very different than the anime, which aired in Japan in 2003, and is now airing in the U.S. and Canada (finally!). Manga-only characters will appear and manga-only events will be referred to. If you haven't read the manga, I can e-mail you some links. Of course, you should support the English manga by buying it too!

Due to the original works, this story will contain some violence, profanity and a few sexual references. Please heed the T (PG-13) rating. Reader discretion is thus advised for some readers.

Oh yeah, I don't want to be nagging, but this is the last chapter to decide on Favourite Chapter and Favourite Character for my e-mail poll. Rules are in Chapter Five. Remember that you should e-mail me with your votes since does not allow polls. You need to have an active and e-mail account to take part. Do NOT use the review box for the poll. Please tell me if you can't use your e-mail and I'll deal with it.

And yes, from now on, there'll be a regular showing of FMA characters, except for the occasional chapter. Please stop begging me now!

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

"Oink! Oink! Oink!"

Kyo sat there looking disgusted. When he said he wanted the cheapest seat available, he had no idea that he would be lead to the animal car. What's even worse is that the pigs reminded him of the last person he wanted to think about. The only thing worse than this was if Kagura was actually with him.

A piglet looked up at Kyo. He looked back at it with hateful eyes.

"I eat pork and I love it!" Kyo said at it.

The piglet squealed in horror and rushed back to its mother. Kyo had a satisfied look on his face. That is, until the sow came to him with angry-looking eyes. It bore down on him with its big body. Kyo tried to escape, but he couldn't do it in time.

"Your pigs are right here, sir" a man said some time later. He then slid open the door. He looked down to see Kyo flat on the ground with the big sow atop of him. "Oh, you're still here."

"Could, you, like, help me?" Kyo asked him.

"Man, even the animals are crazy," Kyo said a few minutes later. He was now outside. He then looked around. "Where am I?"

Kyo saw that this town was not like Rush Valley- it was a smaller town and not as bustling. He then saw an old woman sweeping the front steps of her house.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what is the name of this town?" Kyo asked her. The woman looked suspiciously at him.

"Dublith," the woman said. "Who are you?"

"Kyo Sohma. Call me Kyo," the orange-head said. "Um, do you know if there is a library in this place?"

"No," the old woman replied. "I mean, there are places where books can be found, but we do not have a library."

"Do you know where books of alchemy could be found?" Kyo asked her.

"You mean like an alchemist's place?" the old woman asked.

"Oh no! Just books please!" Kyo said. 'All the alchemists I met so far are crazy,' he thought.

"You just have to ask around then," the old woman said. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Not really," Kyo replied.

"Then might you mind moving?" the old woman requested. "I personally don't mind the cats, but people are starting to stare." Kyo looked down. Sure enough, there were cats all around him.

"They must be smelling my pouch," Kyo said. "I was selling fish at East City."

"I see" the old woman said. "Well, you can take your time here. The town has been abuzz with news that a young, orange-haired man from East City was coming this way. He's supposed to be impersonating as a State Alchemist." She then looked at him suspiciously again. "Now that I mention it, you look like that person." Kyo let out a sweatdrop.

"Uh, um, see ya!" Kyo said. He then ran off.

'Dammit! People know me even here! What wrong did I do?' Kyo thought as he ran.

"That's the orange-haired boy! Get him!" a man shouted. Kyo ran ahead, dodging anything that might get in his way. He then went down another street.

'I can't go on like this!' Kyo thought. 'If I can only get help-'

"Over here!" a woman's voice caused Kyo to stop and look back. All of a sudden Kyo found himself pushed into a barrel and covered over with a lid.

"Don't say a word," the woman said to him in a low voice.

"Wha-!" Kyo said. All of a sudden he heard footsteps. Kyo decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

"Mrs. Curtis, have you seen an orange-haired fellow?" a man's voice sounded. "He's wanted by the authorities."

"I saw him running that way," the woman said. Kyo couldn't believe this. It was amazing that the Havocs at East City lied to conceal his whereabouts, but this woman was too?

"Thank you Mrs. Curtis! I hope you have a very good day!" At that the man walked away. Kyo breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the man's footsteps go away.

"Don't say a word," the woman said. She then lifted him (!) and put him on her shoulder (!). He then heard a door being opened. She next put him down on the floor and opened the lid of the barrel. "Get out! I wouldn't tell a word, so you're safe for now!"

"Who are you and why did you protect me for?" Kyo questioned her, getting out of the barrel.

"Not even a thank you! I saved your ass and I don't even get a thank-you!" the dreadlocked woman said with her arms folded.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Kyo questioned. "I didn't ask for you to rescue me anyway!"

"Do you want to be rescued or not?" the woman said. "I can throw you out if you want!"

"Oh no! That's all right!" Kyo said. "But I do want to know why you covered up for me? You want me to work for you, is that it?"

"You are the Cat Alchemist, right?" the woman questioned.

"What! I'm not an alchemist!" Kyo said, sweatdropping. "The 'Cat' part is not my fault either."

"But you are the one that is wanted by the military?" the woman questioned. "So where is that book that they claim you have?"

"What do you want with it?" Kyo questioned, feeling defensive.

"You went through the Gate, did you not?" the woman asked him.

"The Gate? If you mean that portal, then yeah," Kyo said. She then went closer to him.

"Does the book have information on the Gate?" the woman questioned.

"I don't know! I can't even read the book!" Kyo said. "I've been trying to find an alchemist who could help me, but all they want is the book for themselves!"

"You didn't show your book to a State Alchemist, did you?" the woman asked him.

"Well a few-" Kyo started to say.

"YOU IDIOT!" the woman said, punching him right on the face. Kyo went back in a somersault as a result. "YOU DO NOT EVER, EVER LET A STATE ALCHEMIST READ THAT BOOK!"

"Okay…" Kyo started to say, rubbing his head.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SORT OF THINGS MAY BE IN THAT BOOK!" the woman continued shouting. "IF ANY OF THEM-" Kyo then heard a 'thud' sound. He then opened his eyes.

He saw the woman in a pool of blood.

Kyo screamed.

"What is it?" a big moustached man shouted, entering the room. Kyo saw that he had a big butcher knife, dripping with blood.

Kyo screamed again.

"We are so sorry about that," the man said a few minutes later. "I didn't know we are having a guest."

"Is there something that I can do?" Kyo said. "I mean, is there a hospital nearby or a doctor?"

"No doctor can help me," the woman said, now conscious. She then wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Here is your pills, darling," the man said, handing them over to her.

"But you-you vomited blood! That was blood, right?" Kyo questioned.

"Is this a new student of yours, darling?" the man asked.

"Who are you and what is going on?" Kyo responded.

"I'm Shigu Curtis, and this is my wife Izumi," he said. He then looked at Izumi. "Are you okay now, Izumi?"

"I'm fine," Izumi replied. "That was a big one. I thought I was finally going to spill all my guts out." She then looked at Kyo, whose eyes were still open wide. "This is my husband Shigu. He's a butcher."

"I see…" Kyo said.

"So, darling, are you taking a new student?" Shigu questioned.

"I don't know, but for his own good, he better stay here!" Izumi said.

"A student? What do you teach?" Kyo asked her.

"I was a teacher of two boys that wanted to know about alchemy, so I-" Izumi started to say when Kyo went back.

"You said that you teach alchemy?" Kyo asked her. "Does that mean you're an alchemist?"

"I'm not a State Alchemist, if that's what you mean," Izumi said. "Now that I saved you, you owe me a favour now." Kyo said nothing for a few minutes.

"What favour would that be?" Kyo questioned.

"You said that you are trying to find someone that could help you decipher that book," Izumi said. "I can't guarantee that I'll be able to help you with that, but I can teach you something about alchemy, which may or may not help you in your quest."

"What's the catch?" Kyo questioned. Izumi scratched her head, thinking.

"You look like you can survive a month on an island by yourself, so I got to test you some other way" Izumi said. "I don't just accept any student, you know."

"So what do I have to do?" Kyo asked her.

The next thing Kyo knew, he had a mop and a bucket of water in his hands.

"Clean up this mess," Izumi said. "You also have to do supper, wash the dishes, clean the house and later you'll also do the laundry."

"What am I? Your maid!" Kyo asked with an anger mark on his head.

"For now, yes. Now do as I say or you might see more blood on the floor," Izumi said.

"Why you-" Kyo started to say when a big shadow came over him.

"You what, son?" Shigu said as he smacked his fists together. Kyo begin to sweat.

"Uh, never mind," Kyo said. So he begin to wash the floor.

'Man, that was a big mess,' Kyo thought. The water inside was light red and he cringed every time he had to squeeze the bloody liquid from the mop.

"How on earth could she managed to throw up all this blood anyway?" Kyo muttered to himself. Shigu and Izumi, who were watching him, looked at each other.

"Perhaps it's time that we talk" Izumi said. "You're planning to be my apprentice, right?"

"I guess so," Kyo said.

"And you'll never tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you?" Izumi asked.

"Who would I tell it to?" Kyo responded.

"And you will never become a State Alchemist?" Izumi questioned.

"Oh hell no!" Kyo exclaimed. Izumi smiled.

"Then maybe you'll not be a disappointment," Izumi said. "Very well. I'll tell you my story. Come with us." At that, Kyo was led to a table. "Sit down."

"You must not tell anyone about this" Shigu said. "She was not authorized to do this."

"Do what?" Kyo asked.

"I tried to use alchemy to resurrect my dead son," Izumi said. Kyo's eyes went wide open.

"You can use alchemy to do that?" Kyo questioned.

"It is theoretically possible, since a human is composed of the same elements as that of the earth- oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and other elements in addition to water," Izumi said. "But as you know, the human body is composed of more then just flesh. It also needs to have a mind and soul too. I tried to revive my son's whole body, mind and soul back to the physical world, but in my desperation, I forgot one essential principle of alchemy- the equivalent exchange."

"Equivalent exchange?" Kyo asked.

"You really don't know anything about alchemy, do you?" Izumi questioned.

"Will you just explain what that just means?" Kyo asked with anger marks covering his head.

"Don't blow up on me, all right?" Izumi responded. Kyo settled down. "Good. Anyway, 'equivalent exchange' means getting something in equal value to what you gave out. You can't get something for nothing, right?"

"It looks like your world isn't that different from mine," Kyo said. "So you didn't give anything in return for your dead son? What happened after that?"

"Because I didn't give anything of equal value," Izumi told him. "My own life was almost forfeited." Kyo's eyes widened again.

"Only another human life would have been sufficient," Shigu said. "In the attempt to bring back our dead son, Izumi was almost ripped inside out-"

"Okay, okay, that's enough for me!" Kyo said, waving his hands up and down. "I'm not planning to resurrect any dead people, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Alright then. You can stay here for a month!" Izumi said.

"What! I'm not staying here for a whole month!" Kyo said with an anger mark on his head. He then put his hands on the table.

"How long do you want to stay then?" Izumi asked.

"A week and that's it!" Kyo answered.

"No one can be taught alchemy in a week!" Izumi said.

"Listen, I want to get out of this crazy country as fast as I can, so just teach me how to transmutate stuff, and I'll do whatever you want me to do!" Kyo said. "But only for a week!"

"If that's what you want, so be it!" Izumi said. "But you'll have to work even harder!"

"Fine!" Kyo said. Izumi then handed him an apron. "Huh?"

"You need to cook our meals, clean the dishes, sweep the floors, scrub them too, dust everywhere, and prepare our beds" Izumi said. She then turned her head away. "Oh yeah, and you have to do the laundry and clean my husband's butcher shop in a few days too."

'Why you-!' Kyo thought with anger marks over his head. So Kyo began his "training" as he cooked, cleaned and scrubbed all over the house that day.

A few days later, Kyo found himself washing dishes. He was in an even more pissed off mood.

'That bitch!' Kyo thought. 'I told her that I know only how to make soup!' He then wiped a dish. 'If only I could have remembered how I got here in the place so I could go back! I'm not a maid, dammit! Now I know how Tohru feels like…' He then stopped. 'Tohru…' He then remembered her smile, her laughter, her voice, and her, well, just being Tohru.

All of a sudden Kyo heard the dish crash onto the floor.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Izumi's voice caused Kyo to go into the cupboard under the sink. He had the door closed just in time before Izumi entered the kitchen.

"Now what sort of trouble has he gone into this time?" Izumi asked out loud. Kyo tried not to move even though his cramped position made that very difficult.

"He didn't went outside," Izumi said. "So…" At that, Kyo then heard her footsteps coming toward the cupboards.

Oh dammit! He thought. He was totally busted!

"Get out from there! I know you're in there!" Izumi shouted. Maybe if she got mad enough, then she'll pass out again.

"Honey! My new apprentice won't come out from the cupboards! May you help me 'persuade' him to?" Izumi shouted. Kyo's eyes then went wide. He could handle a sickly woman, but a powerful, big-muscled man was another story.

"Okay! Okay! I'm out! I'm out!" Kyo yelled. He then went out from under the sink.

"What were you doing under the sink anyway?" Izumi demanded to know.

"I didn't want to be hit again, that's why!" Kyo replied.

"You didn't break the dish intentionally, did you?" Izumi questioned.

"NO!" Kyo said.

"Then you needn't to worry," Izumi said. "You'll need to clean it up, though."

"Is there anything else you want me to do?" Kyo asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Today is laundry day," Izumi said. "I already prepared the clothes so all you need to do is to wash them and dry them out."

"Oh," Kyo said. He felt relieved. "So all I have to do is wash them, huh? So where is your washing machine?"

"Washing machine?" Izumi said in genuine surprise.

(This part is dedicated to Crazy Al-Bhed-Girl. You got your man on now!)

If only real life was this good to the Colonel.

"ROY!"

Roy found himself accosted by a whole bunch of girls- all wearing miniskirts, of course. In his right hand there was a glass of white wine.

"Roy! Rooy! ROOOY!" all the women now chanted. A few managed to get their arms around him.

"Ladies, ladies…" Roy said, laughing. He then saw a boat. "Ladies, why don't we go on the boat for a little trip?"

"Oh yes, Roy!" All the ladies said, then went with him on the boat. The ladies then tried to wrap their arms around him again.

"Now ladies…" Roy started to say when he smelled something. He then looked up. All of a sudden a bunch of fish went atop of them all. "What the-?" All the ladies then screamed.

"Colonel Mustang?"

Roy opened his eyes to find himself under a stack of wet, fish-smelling papers. He then saw Armstrong standing in front of his desk, trying to look composed as possible, though Roy could tell he was doing his best not to look uncomfortable.

"Why am I under a stack of-" Roy then grabbed a piece of paper from his hair. "-paper? Why do they smell like fish?" He then looked around. "And why are you the only one here, Major Armstrong?"

"It was not my doing, sir," Armstrong said. "You were asleep when someone came in, saw you sleeping at your desk, dumped everything that he had on you, and then left."

"Yes, but what are these papers?" Roy questioned. He then looked at the piece of paper he had in his hand. He suddenly stood up. "Where did all of these papers come from?"

"I didn't ask, Colonel," Armstrong said. "But since a few days ago, I've been hearing reports from the East about someone who was selling fish there that has a valuable alchemy book but what book is uncertain for the moment."

"The water and fish oil is smearing the words, so I can't tell what this is," Roy said. He then saw a folder on the right corner of his desk and opened it up.

"The person who came here also placed that folder on your desk, quite carefully, may I add," Armstrong said. Roy was reading a report from it.

"According to this, five days ago, a young man with orange hair came into Lawrence Boylen's house with an alchemy book. There was an explosion- the cause is still not known- but Lawrence Boylen kept saying 'that book' over and over again. He must have read that book and discovered something in it" Roy said. He then looked up at Armstrong. "Do you know who this Lawrence Boylen is?"

"He retired by the time you went into military service" Armstrong said. "The only things that I really know about him is that he was called the Glass Alchemist and that he withdrew to a little town after he retired."

"According to this report, Lawrence Boylen suffered severe burns on his face and hands, yet witnesses said that the young man went out of his home completely unscathed," Roy said.

"He was also seen in East City selling fish," Armstrong said. "But he escaped from the authorities there as well."

"I'm reading that report right now-" Roy said. His eyes then went wide.

"What is it, sir?" Armstrong asked.

"Maybe I should take this case after all," Roy said. He then looked all around. "Where is everyone else then?"

"They all left when the person brought in the oily manuscripts," Armstrong said.

"Even Hawkeye?" Roy said.

"She said that the smell might ruin her hair" Armstrong said. Roy almost fell off his chair in shock.

"Fine. Have you heard of the Cat Alchemist's recent whereabouts?" Roy asked.

"As far as I've heard, he has gone south again but there's no telling where he is now or his destination at this point," Armstrong said.

"It doesn't seem that he has a destination at all," Roy said. "Though it seems likely that he'll go north again."

"Are you suggesting that he might go to Central?" Armstrong asked him.

"I'm not sure where his next stop will be," Roy said. "But I'm sure that he'll eventually reach here."

"So what are you going to do?" Armstrong questioned.

"Tell me, Major Armstrong, is the Cat Alchemist really an alchemist?" Roy questioned.

"It's not an official title, Colonel," Armstrong said. "It's just what the officers at the South and East jurisdictions call him. He appears to be more of a fighter than a real alchemist. In fact, if he didn't have the suspicious alchemy book and got in conflicts with the local authorities, he wouldn't have attracted the military's attention in the first place."

"According to my orders, I'm to find out from the manuscripts what they are and if I could decipher them," Roy said.

"You think you can do that?" Armstrong questioned. Roy took a closer look at the manuscript in his hand.

"This is in French," Roy said. "Still, as long as the Cat Alchemist is still out loose, some of the questions we have wouldn't be answered."

"So if he appears in Central-" Armstrong started to say.

"First of all, get a large map marking his past locations," Roy commanded. "I want to keep track of where he was last seen when we get word of it."

"Anything else?" Armstrong questioned.

"If the Cat Alchemist appears in Central, I want you and Sergeant Fury and Second Lieutenant Breda to go where he was last seen. Don't threaten him or anything like that. We want to capture him alive but the alchemy book seems to be the only thing that military command really want," Roy said. "But the kid interests me too. I want him alive, do you got that?"

"Yes, but what happens if we need reinforcements?" Armstrong asked.

"Then First Lieutenant Hawkeye and I will help" Roy said.

"Are you sure you should come? I am certain that you haven't recovered from your injuries this soon-" Armstrong said.

"I am fine. I can still use my hand, can't I?" Roy said in a slightly annoyed tone. He hates it when people think he couldn't do anything.

"And if all of us can't capture him?" Armstrong questioned. Roy was now looking at all the reports.

"I'll get Fullmetal," Roy finally said.

End of Chapter Nine

I am so happy that I got everything done! Chapter Ten is almost done as well, but I'll wait until I can get enough reviews, which shouldn't take too long, knowing how popular this story is. The e-mail poll is now officially open, so choose for Favourite Chapter and Favourite Character. Complete rules are in Chapter Five. The next chapter will also have review responses and extras so keep on watch for that. Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by TOKYOPOP and Hakusensha Inc. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Viz Media and Square Enix. Please do not forget to review!

Next Chapter: The Monkey And The Messenger From Xing (plus review responses and extras)


	10. Kyo's New Skill

**Chapter Ten of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and is distributed by TOKYOPOP and Hakusensha Inc. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and is distributed by Viz Media and Square Enix. No infringement was intended in the making of this story.

Correction: After reading Volume 5 of the manga and watching the anime (for the first time too), I realized that the State Alchemist watch is silver, not gold. My biggest apologies for the error, folks.

Second Correction: I hate it when I screw up on my own writing…this chapter is NOT titled "The Monkey And The Messenger From Xing." It's "Kyo's New Skill." I apologize profusely for this.

Now that is done and over with, let this chapter begin!

"Wash, dry, clean, wash, dry, clean, sheesh-" Kyo said. "I can't believe this! If I knew it would be like this, I would have stayed in Celsus-san's place! I can't believe she never heard of an automatic washing machine! Now how to work this thing!" Kyo looked at the wooden barrel.

'Boil water first,' Kyo thought as he remembered what Izumi-sensei told him. 'Then put in barrel.' Kyo lit a match. The fire below the big kettle heated the water. 'After that, then put in the soap powder and then the clothes.' Kyo looked at the kettle. Thinking it was boiling, he put the water and the soap powder into the tub. It soon became bubbly.

'This is such a nuisance,' Kyo thought as he used the washing rack to rub the soap clothes with a sponge. 'If I only can use alchemy to wash these clothes-' A thought then came to him.

'Why don't I use alchemy to wash these clothes?' Kyo thought. He then thought more about it. 'I can do it! I can just draw the alchemy symbols for fire and water, and combustion and dissolution!' At that, Kyo quickly drew the symbols on a piece of paper. He then threw out the soapy water from the tub and put the piece of paper at the bottom of the tub. He waited for the water to form and started boiling.

Nothing happened.

"Maybe it needs a starter," Kyo said. He then got the kettle and filled it with more water. He then poured the water into the tub. Almost immediately, the water started boiling.

"Just as I thought! It's really bubbly now!" Kyo said as he put in the clothes. "I wish that she did have a washing machine but the hot water doesn't seem to have an effect on me, at least."

"That did the job very well," Kyo said to himself a few minutes later. He placed the wet clothes on some rocks. "Let the sun dry them out, she said. I guess dryers don't exist here too." He then looked up at the sky. "This world is so modern yet so ancient. I wonder what year this is." He then looked down. His eyes widened when he saw that soapy water was drenching his feet!

"Oh no!" Kyo said. He then rushed back to the tub. The tub was overflowing with boiling soapy water!

"What am I going to do?" Kyo said to himself. He threw out the water from the tub but more water came out of it. In desperation, he kicked the tub to destroy it. He then grabbed the piece of paper and ripped it apart.

'That was close,' Kyo thought. He then saw a shadow come behind him. He looked up.

THONK!

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!" Izumi roared. Kyo now had a bump on his head.

"I THOUGHT THAT ALCHEMY WOULD HELP!" Kyo responded.

"IF THAT WAS THE CASE, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU TO DO IT THAT WAY!" Izumi said out loud, pointing a finger at him. "Now do it the right way from now on!"

"Yes Izumi-sensei" Kyo said with his head down.

"Good. Now dry those clothes that you just soaked," Izumi said. "And remember that you have to clean the house and cook supper too."

'You little-' Kyo thought.

"No wonder her earlier students became State Alchemists," Kyo said an hour later. He was now doing cleaning work. "She probably drove them so crazy that they became State Alchemists just to get away from her!" He then heard voices from the other side of the door.

"Did you get anything from the book yet?" Shigu asked. Kyo put his left ear to the door. He could hear pages being flipped.

"It's French, but I can't read a single sentence" Izumi said. "And some of the drawings are hard to decipher."

"You don't suppose that Edward or Alphonse would know?" Shigu questioned.

"They might. They probably have read every major alchemy book from here to Central by now," Izumi said.

"It would be helpful if we knew where they are now," Shigu said.

"We know where they are from, at least" Izumi said. She then closed the book. "Still, knowing them, they're bound to come here again. I'll just have to keep Kyo employed here until then." Kyo couldn't believe it!

'I'm not going to stay here that long!' Kyo thought. 'That's it! I'm going to leave as soon as I-'

The door suddenly opened.

"What are you doing at the door?" Izumi's voice caused Kyo to look up. He then saw the woman's angry face.

"Eep!" Kyo said and started to run, but Izumi caught up with him and gave him a few whacks on the head.

'Oh that bitch!' Kyo thought an hour later. 'Once I get my hands on her, I'll-' he then stopped thinking. He went straight to the library and opened the door.

The book was still there.

'Now to see what I can find…' Kyo thought. He then flipped through the pages. "Hey, I can understand a little of this! I must be reading this enough!"

"A transmutation circle can transmutate anything, so…" Kyo said. He then took a piece of paper from his notepad. "If I can create a spear from this rod…" He then wrote a few kanji characters on the piece of paper and drew a circle around it. "I could transmutate the rod to a spear with this piece of paper!" He then took out the rod from his back and wrapped the end with the piece of paper. A flash of light occurred, and the rod now had a spear head on it. "Yes!"

'It is not perfect, but it'll have to do,' Kyo thought, examining his new spear. He then looked at the other books in the room. 'She has lots of books here, and none could help her with the Gate?' He then put his book into his shirt and grabbed his spear. 'I can't waste my time in this place. If this Central City is where the best alchemists are, I'll have to go there. I just hope I don't meet anyone too crazy.' He then left the room.

'Now if I'm in the South and Central's name is accurate, then all I have to do is go up north and-' Kyo started to think when he heard the woman's voice.

"What are you doing here? You need to clean the kitchen!" Izumi said.

"I'm leaving!" Kyo said. Izumi then folded her arms.

"Oh really?" Izumi said. "Do you really think you'll be able to deal with the authorities on your own?"

"I've managed so far," Kyo said, turning away.

"And what about your alchemy skills?" Izumi questioned. "Did any of my books help you on that?"

"What about this?" Kyo asked. He then showed her the spear. "I just transmutated this from my rod!"

"I see!" Izumi said. She then examined it. "It's not perfect though! You're staying here!" She then started to pull at the spear.

"Hey! That's mine!" Kyo said. He then clapped both of his hands between his spear. All of a sudden the spear lengthened, hitting Izumi right in her chest.

'The spear lengthened when I just clapped my hands against it!' Kyo thought. He then saw Izumi get up. She had blood running down her chin.

"I see that you have learned a special kind of alchemy," Izumi said. "Now that you have done that, you can't-" All of a sudden, she fell down with blood gushing out of her mouth.

At first, Kyo became alarmed and almost yelled for help. He then thought about it, put his newly-formed spear in the back of his shirt and left the house.

In the meantime, someone was knocking on a door.

"Hello, Mr. Celsus? Mr. Celsus!" the short figure shouted.

"He's not home?" his bigger companion suggested.

"Come on, we know you're home!" the dark-haired figure yelled. He then knocked on the door harder. "Open up!" He then knocked even harder. "For crying out loud! There are very few State Alchemists with your expertise still around! If you're not going to come to the door, I will-" he then punched the door. The door came crashing down, much to his surprise.

"Door broke?" his fat companion said.

"I guess I don't know my own strength sometimes," the short man said in a laid-back voice. "I don't hear anything. Did he escaped from us?"

"I smell cat," his fat companion said.

"Hm?" the dark-haired figure said.

"I smell blood too," his fat companion then said.

"I see," the dark-haired figure said. He then took a sniff. His eyes then widened. "It's human blood! That bastard had better not decided to take his own life!" He then ran into the hallway. His fat companion followed him.

The dark-haired man then kicked open a door.

"All right, if any one is alive-" the short man started to say. He then smirked. "It figures."

On the floor was Grendel, lying in a pool of his blood. Celsus was also lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood.

"This looks like a chimera," the short man said, looking down at it. He then saw his fat man companion sniffing Celsus. "Don't tell me you will eat THAT."

"I smell cat," his fat companion said.

"Oh?" the short man said. His eyes then widened when he saw the cat scratches over Celsus' body. "What happened here?"

"Cat killed him," his fat companion said.

"So he was here, eh?" the short man said. "I wonder how the Cat Alchemist got his name. Oh well. At least we can tell Wrath why Mr. Celsus couldn't be reached."

"What about Cat Man?" the fat man asked his companion.

"He's out of my league," his companion told him. "Though I don't think that Wrath will like it when we have to tell him what happened to Mr. Celsus. There are so very few good, LOYAL State Alchemists like him nowadays." The short man then stopped as if thinking. "You know, I heard that the Flame Colonel has taken command of the case with the Cat Alchemist-" He then heard his fat companion growl. "Hm?"

"Him…I'LL EAT HIM!" his fat companion said. He now had drool coming down his chin.

"Listen, I know how you feel. But Wrath gave us our orders and if Father is okay with it, then we have no choice but to obey," the short man said. He then saw that his fat companion was still growling. "Don't worry, Gluttony. Our plan is almost complete. We'll use the Flame Colonel for one more thing: as one of our human sacrifices." At that, the fat man smiled. "In any case, we got enough information about the Cat Alchemist. You know, he could be an use to us too, as a human sacrifice, or I should say, an inhuman sacrifice." He then grinned. All of a sudden he turned back at the sound of chomping. His face now showed disgust.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT THAT!" his voice rang throughout the house.

End of Chapter Ten

To quote Natsuki Takaya herself, "I feel so grateful!"

There are so many people that I want to thank, so here it goes: SakuraSagura, starryskydragon, Rayame325, lexis, Dallas W, silverwindflame, SeaLover456, Crazyloony598, Neko nek0, Monk of the Neko, Wildfire Dreams, Crazy Al-Bhed-Girl, Yami Flo, Shingo-sama, Yucile, Kitsune Freak, Hallohello, Hikari Dragoness of Light, Firey Pheonix, Edward Elriclover53, crazyanimefreak15, Suzuume, Scintilat1G-02, elle, Dark Angel Alchemist, minimew, Dragoness Triplets, Belletiger, AvatarNyaNya, Chaos Tears, eclipsedlight, AngelOfTheRain and Sk8er7. I know that there are more people that read my story but haven't reviewed yet. I'll love to hear from you.

Since I got so many reviews, I have decided to put my review responses and extras in Chapter Ten, and put my author's notes (I got a bundle) in Chapter Eleven.

Here are now the readers' responses:

SakuraSagura: Kyo will meet Ed around Chapter 17, so keep an eye on that. As you probably have noted, I'm gradually putting the familiar FMA characters into my story. A good writer knows when to introduce characters in his or her story. Once Kyo gets into Central, you'll see them constantly. You might be surprised to find out which side Kyo will take though! And thank you for sending your private message to me!

Rayame325: Believe it or not, the first anime I ever saw was Astro Boy, way back when I was a little kid in the 1980s. Of course back then I didn't know it was anime- the English producers went to great lengths to Americanize real anime those days- which goes to show how far TV anime has gone to this point. But Inu-Yasha is still a good work, though I prefer Ranma 1/2 more. If you only watched the anime, then I recommend you to get the manga- you should be able to borrow some from the library. As for websites, Ear-Tweak has the most recent scanlations while Chris Rijk's website has the text translation of every chapter so far. Check them out! As for Kyo liking Roy, considering that Roy's personality is similar to Shigure, you'll have to find out whether Kyo would even like Roy or not. And thank you so much for reviewing my Inu-Yasha and One Piece fics! I always look forward to your reviews!

Lexis- I like Kyo and Tohru too, but I try not to be too hung up over couplings- I've been disappointed before. As for any other Furuba characters appearing in the story, you just have to wait and see. Thank you for reviewing each chapter. Since you're an anonymous reviewer, I can't contact you, so I hope you review again!

SeaLover546: I didn't think I was away that long…what are you, Mit-chan? Anyway, I don't have a full map of Amestris, so I don't really know how far apart most places are from each other (the maps shown in the manga are incomplete). I assume that since Amestris isn't a big country, it would take Kyo only a few days to go wherever he wants to. As for the manga, I have barely seen the anime, but I have to agree that most manga-based animes are not up to par to the original manga. Since Hiromu Arakawa publishes only one chapter each month, the quality of the anime will differ in some parts, especially near the end, since most mangas haven't been finished by then. What I love about Hiromu Arakawa is not only the apparent research she has done for her work, but her ability to raise the bar higher and higher. The only thing I can say after reading Chapter 54 is, Ling Yao, what have you done? As for Kyo meeting Ed, please read SakuraSagura's review response. I want to clarify something about my writing. I AM proud of my writing- I'm just stunned by the number of reviews I've been getting, since my writing style hasn't changed. As for Kyo being a homunculus, that depends on how you define a human being. As for your review being too long, I actually enjoy long reviews- it denotes that you're really interested in my story. But if you feel a bit awkward in this regard, you can just go to my forums and let it all out- that's why I created them in the first place. And thank you for your e-mail!

Neko nek0: Yeah, Kyo hasn't realized that all State Alchemists carry pocket watches as part of their identification. As you may know, I incorrectly stated that they were gold instead of silver (whoops!). Interestingly enough, Roy keeps his pocket watch around his neck under his uniform. I assume that Armstrong does the same.

Wildfire Dreams: You can read SeaLover's review response about the manga. I just want to know where do you guys read the manga online? I love Readmanga- the Manga Online Reader is so easy to navigate and I can search by page number, which makes it easy to do research or just when I want to read something.

Crazy Al-Bhed-Girl: I know how obsessed you are with Roy, so I changed my original plan of putting Roy and Armstrong in Chapter Ten instead of Chapter Nine, since I figure that you'd want to see him sooner. You know, I've read every chapter of the manga so far, and I still don't know what to make of him. He reminds me a lot of Shigure, including his willingness to do anything to achieve his goal, even by dubious means. As for Kyo being OOC, I'm not always sure what you mean by that. Since Kyo is in a new world and doesn't have his aggravators- Yuki, Shigure, Kagura, Ayame and sometimes Haru and Uo- with him, you can't expect him to act hot-tempered all the time. I don't know how far you've read the manga, but he does mellow a bit in time. By the way, you never told me that you wrote "Chibified!" I did lose interest after a few chapters, but the thought of Roy being turned into a child and having Hawkeye take care of him is just so funny and cute!

Yami Flo: If you want to pursue a career in translation, you can always go to Canada- since our official languages are English and French, there's always a good demand for good French- English translators. As for Kyo being mistaken for a chimera, it's highly likely, since his true form is supposed to be a twisted form of the cat, but it looks more like a giant lizard to me.

Yucile: Please read SakuraSagura's review response regarding Kyo and Ed. Thank you for reviewing!

Kitsune Freak: I can't believe that you don't like Fruits Basket? Is it because you haven't read or watched Fruits Basket, or is it something else? In any event, I hope that you continue to read and like this story.

Hikari Dragoness of Light: Braces? Ouch! I hope that you're feeling better! I've never had braces, but I had my wisdom teeth pulled out, and that was bad enough. In addition to the pain, I had to cope with blood coming from my mouth, a bruise that covered my entire jawline, nausea, and an inability to chew without pain for a few weeks. I hope that you're able to understand more of my story now if you're still reading it.

Firey Pheonix: If you're still reading this, I hope that you like the most recent chapters now. I don't like to repeat myself as to why I took so long to update, but I'm still happy that most people still like the story though it did took a long time to get into the "meat" of the story.

Dragoness Triplets: I agree that there are few good stories now. When you have been writing as long as I have, most stories seem so repetitive and stale. But if you want to read my other works, feel free to do so. I even got a few Yu-Gi-Oh works that you may enjoy. Feel free to review them too!

Belletiger: I am so happy that you not only read and reviewed my story, but even sent a private message with a suggestion! I already have plans regarding Kyo's eventual capture by the military, but I am happy that you thought that up ahead. I look forward to seeing more reviews from you!

AvatarNyaNya: I have nothing against Yuki, except for the times he called cats or Kyo stupid- I have known many cats that had better sense than humans- but it's just that Kyo fitted the storyline better. I'll like to make a crossover story with Yuki in it but I doubt it'll be with Fullmetal Alchemist. I have no way of contacting you, so I hope that you review again!

Crazyloony598: Thank you for logging in to review this time! I found it sometimes hard to track anonymous reviewers, as the search engine is sometimes unreliable. Please do login and review again!

Chaos Tears: I'm not sure if I wanted to see the anime or not- I have seen many mangas get screwed up by the anime, but I know how popular the FMA anime is. I can't see how it could supplant my love for the manga, however. Now if YTV could air Fruits Basket and .hack/legend of the twilight, I'll be a very happy Canadian girl!

Sk8er7: I'm not sure what you exactly mean, but Izumi Carter is her full name in the manga. Since my entire story is based on the manga, this may explain the confusion. Interestingly enough, Izumi is one of the few characters that have at least one Japanese name- Shou Tucker and First Lieutenant Yoki are two others that I can think of.

Starryskydragon, Dallas W., silverwindflame, Monk of the Neko (thanks for your patronage!), Shingo-sama, Hallohello, Edward Elriclover53, crazyanimefreak15, Suzuume, Scintilat1G-02, elle, Dark Angel Alchemist, eclipsedlight and AngelOfTheRain- thank you for reviewing! Please review again!

Now for a couple of extras!

Fury: First Lieutenant Hawkeye, I've found another dog for you to take care of! shows her a brown dog

Hawkeye: looks down Is he friendly?

Fury: Oh yes! Look! I think he likes you already! the brown dog jumps up and down on Hawkeye's legs

Hawkeye: I guess I can keep him until we can find another owner for him! Fury burst into tears and the brown dog wags its tail Let's take him inside and see what Black Hayate thinks of him. Fury, Hawkeye and the brown dog goes inside her home

All of a sudden…

POOF!

Hawkeye screams

Shigure's voice: Oh hello there…You don't mind me being naked, do you? How about playing with me? I promise to be gentle! a click of a gun and a dog's growl could be heard

A few minutes later…

Fury: on the phone Hello, Colonel? The brown dog that I gave to her turned out to be a naked man. Now First Lieutenant Hawkeye is beating him with the butt of her rifle and Black Hayate is trying to maul him!

Roy: over the phone I'll go and get my ignitor gloves.

You probably don't want to know what next happened to Shigure!

This next extra was inspired by reading Chapter 54 of the manga. The worst part is that I could see this happening, at least in a spoof extra. This is actually based on part of the chapter, so a major manga spoiler warning is in effect here.

Homunculus Father: Perhaps I have use for this human too. takes out a small red blob from his hand I have an empty seat for Lust as well.

Al: still on the ground It's the Philosopher's Stone!

Roy: The Philosopher's Stone?

Envy: still in his original form You're really going to give it to him?

Ed: That-

Envy: You're going to make him into one of us, huh? If you pour the Philosopher's Stone into his blood and if it goes well, he'll become a complete human-based homunculus.

Ed: COLONEL! takes the gun out of his holster and points it at Envy MOVE, ENVY!

Envy: Ku ku ku…You know you wouldn't be able to shoot it…pipsqueak.

Roy: Lust? You want me to become Lust? Do you know how many girls and women have gone after me or how many love letters I receive every day at work? Do you know how many fangirls I got from the other world who swoon at every move I make? And all of these despite that I have killed over a thousand innocent people? Dammit, I don't need the Philosopher's Stone, for I am Lust! I AM LUST!

Lust Blob: looks at Homunculus Father from his palm Sorry, Father, but I can't compete with this guy.

Al: Why are you here anyway, Colonel?

Ling Yao: still being pinned by Gluttony May we get back to me, please?

Next Chapter: The Monkey And The Messenger from Xing (for real this time!)


	11. The Monkey And the Messenger of Xing

**Chapter Eleven of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

Sorry for the delay. I had to cope with sickness and injury to my left knee- an injury that I had two years ago that flared up recently for some reason. I sometimes wished that I had Ed's leg because I could do more stuff with it. It's a soft tissue injury, which means it'll never completely heal. I'm trying to find work too, but this will seriously limit my options. I have to take ibuprofen, but I'm hoping that I can go to physiotherapy, which will at least be a relaxing experience if nothing else. I'm sorry to be griping about it, but it's hard to ignore when you're in serious pain. No really.

On the plus side, I managed to get hold of the Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist animes! As any Canadian reader must know, the anime is now airing in Canada. I must admit that I'm surprised about some things, and a few things didn't make sense, but I won't talk about it now. As for the Fruits Basket anime, I get it from the library. It was only after Christmas that I bought a DVD player and Fullmetal Alchemist didn't air until March. Now that I know what the major characters sound like, I can hopefully provide more "voice" to the fic. Please let me know if you notice any improvement.

Speaking of things to improve, I have received a lot of reviews. By the time you read this, it'll likely surpass a hundred reviews. For a story that only has ten chapters so far, that's amazing. So I like to thank all of you who have reviewed so far. If you haven't reviewed, please do so. I'll love to read what you have to type.

Keep in mind these things, though, when you do review:

1. Please read my notes and review responses before you ask anything. I put my notes on every chapter and review responses are on Chapter Six and Chapter Ten respectively. Unless I have something I need to clarify, I'll not repeat myself. Any redundant question will be referred to the answer I already gave or will be ignored.

2. I appreciate anyone noticing problems in my fic but don't be vague. I can't improve when I don't know what exactly is the problem or when there are no suggestions. Explain yourself and provide a solution to the problem if you know how to fix it. Any suggestions for the storyline is also welcome, but remember that this is MY story, and I'll only change things if the suggestion is better or it doesn't affect the main storyline. You can also e-mail or send a private message if you already reviewed.

3. Apparently, a few of you still don't get that this story is based on the manga, not the anime. Any anime-related questions will be ignored. The manga is available in websites like Readmanga. You can go to my forum if you want to discuss anything from the anime or the manga- just not here.

Honorifics- Since honorifics don't seem necessary, I have dropped them in the FMA portion. However, since the Xing characters will probably be using honorifics anyway, I decided to retain the proper honorifics they'll be using. Hence, "-san," "-sama," and a few others will be used. I hope I don't confuse people with this.

When there's more than one variation of a spelling, I usually go for the most well-known, unless I have a personal preference. Hence, I went for Fury, Falman and Ran Fan (even though the latter isn't exactly authentic). I just want to know one thing: Do you prefer Liza or Riza Hawkeye?

Congrats to Neko nek0 for answering my e-mail poll! Neko nek0 picked Kyo for Favourite Character and Chapter Ten for Favourite Chapter. I e-mailed regarding the prize, but Neko nek0 haven't responded yet. A new e-mail poll has now started- there are no new changes except it now covers Chapter 11-20. Rules are in Chapter 5. Please tell me if you have any questions regarding this.

Author Notes (Part 1) will start after the chapter ends. This will cover original character names' origins and resources for making this fic so far. Author Notes (Part 2) and review responses will be in Chapter 12, which is three-quarters done already.

Now that I finally have this over with, let this chapter begin!

"What a bitch!" Kyo said. "No wonder her other apprentices became State Alchemists!" Kyo was now by a river. A few cats were with him.

'I can get some fish from the river, but how long will it be until I reach the next town?' Kyo thought. He then opened the book. 'I now can understand a few things from this book. Is there anything else I need to know?' He then started reading it. 'This doesn't make any sense! Even if I could read French perfectly, from what I've heard alchemy books are written that only one knows what they're writing about can understand it. I don't know half of the stuff in alchemy, but if only I can get someone who wouldn't take the book from me!' At that, Kyo shut the book. He then went to the river and looked down at it.

'Even if I can't taste food, I still have to eat' Kyo thought. He then looked at the cats. "Get me some fish." At once, the cats obeyed. A short while later, Kyo was roasting fish in sticks over a fire- the paper under it making the source of the fish obvious.

'I need to get some more money,' Kyo thought. 'But even if I did manage to get some more money, where would I go where I wouldn't be harassed?' He then picked up a piece of fish and started to eat it. Suddenly a white-haired monkey came over and grabbed the piece of fish. What made it even worse for Kyo is that he saw the monkey go off with his book and pouch as well!

"My book and my pouch! Why you little-" Kyo started to say when he ran at it. The monkey went over the hills, with Kyo following him. The monkey, though, had the advantage of a head start.

Close by, an old man with slanted eyes was playing a Xingese flute. He stopped when he saw the monkey.

"Li Bo! What did you bring me?" the old man said. He then saw his white monkey hand him a pouch. The old man then took out a few coins. "This isn't food!" He then saw the monkey had a piece of fish with him. "Oh!" He was about to take the piece of fish from his monkey when another hand grabbed it.

"Who are you?" the old man asked the younger man.

"That's what I like to know!" Kyo said as he planted his left foot on the man's head. The monkey started to run around, screeching.

"So you're not from here too?" the old man said. They were now on the ground, eating the fish that Kyo was roasting, using a fresh piece of paper for the transmutation circle. On another fire a tea kettle was boiling.

"Yeah. Now I'm trying to find a way out of this madhouse," Kyo said.

"I should introduce myself, Kyo-san" the old man said. "I am Chang Tao from Xing."

"Shin?" Kyo asked.

"Xing," Chang Tao nodded. He then saw his monkey looking at Kyo's book. "Li Bo, you found something useful?" The monkey then showed him the book. "Ah! It's an alchemy book!"

"Give me my book back!" Kyo said in annoyance. He then started chasing the monkey again. The old man went to the kettle.

"The tea is ready! Do you want a cup now?" the old man asked him as if nothing had happened. Li Bo stopped but Kyo didn't, so he tripped over the monkey. Chang Tao just looked at him.

"So why are you here anyway?" Kyo asked him, sipping some tea. He had his book firmly in his hands now.

"I cannot give you the full details," Chang Tao said. "But I was sent by the Emperor of Xing to send a message to the leader of the company, who I can only tell you has a close connection to him."

"What are you guys doing here anyway? Where is this Xing now that you mention it?" Kyo questioned.

"Ah! That I can answer!" Chang Tao said. He then took a carved stick that he was carrying and made a circle. "This is Amestris." He then created another circle right next to Amestris. He then rubbed his stick over it. "This is Ishbal, or what used to Ishbal and the Great Desert." He then drew a bigger circle next to it. "This is Xing."

"And all of this is on the mainland?" Kyo asked him.

"Yes, but of course there are other countries too," Chang Tao said. He then pointed to the north of Amestris. "This is Drachma and between them is the Brig Mountains." He then pointed to the west of Amestris. "This is Cretea. The South is Aeruga and another desert."

"If what you say is true, then my home would be-" Kyo started to say when he put a few pebbles close to the Xing circle. "-here."

"You're from the islands?" Chang Tao asked. "We heard of an island nation east of us, but we haven't had contact with them for such a long time."

"Yeah, my nation had done that from time to time," Kyo said. "But you must understand that I'm not from this dimension."

"I never met anyone from another dimension," Chang Tao said. "Your nation must possess great knowledge of alchemy in order to send someone through the Gate like this."

"I'm just a novice," Kyo said. "But tell me, if your country is like the one that I know, then your nation must have their own history of alchemy."

"And that history is still continuing," Chang Tao said. "But the way we use alchemy is different than here."

"Oh?" Kyo said.

"In Xing, we use alchemy for medicinal purposes," Chang Tao explained. "We call it 'Rentanjutsu' or 'healing alchemy.'" (Note: I know that 'healing alchemy isn't the exact meaning, but it's close enough).

"So you people use it for healing?" Kyo questioned.

"You know about chi, don't you?" Chang Tao asked him.

"Of course! It's the energy that flows through your body!" Kyo said. "I was taught that when I was learning martial arts!"

"Ah, so you know that!" the old man said. "Maybe you can help me after all!" He then took a sip of his tea. "As you said, 'chi' is the energy that flows through one's body from different points in it." He then paused. "'Rentanjutsu' is the art of combining alchemy with the chi of one's body."

"That makes sense," Kyo said. "But why are you guys here anyway? This place makes alchemy seem sick!"

"It's true that there is trouble in Amestris," Chang Tao said. "Recently a young woman had to flee to our nation from here because she got caught up in a military conspiracy of some sort, but she had help in getting out with a few sympathizers. The fighting and wars had taken its toll on Amestris. The whole land needs 'Rentanjutsu,' and maybe even that wouldn't be enough to heal it."

"That's, uh, interesting but you didn't answer my question" Kyo said. The monkey was now looking at his book again.

"Well, I'm not sure how much I can tell you as I said, but since you know a little alchemy, I must ask you a question: Do you know anything about the Philosopher's Stone?" the old man asked.

"Only a little," Kyo said.

"In Xing, the pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone is also the goal of the alchemists," Chang Tao said. "That is the reason why we're here in the first place. You do know about the ultimate goal for making the Philosopher's Stone, do you?"

"Making gold?" Kyo said.

"Illegal," the old man said.

"So why do you want to know what I think anyway? Kyo asked him.

"The Emperor of Xing is dying" Chang Tao said. "By this time he may already be dead. In any event, one of his sons, Prince Ling Yao and a few of his retainers were sent to this country to try to find more information on the Philosopher's Stone."

"But why here? This place is absolutely crazy!" Kyo said. "Their alchemy is sick! I have seen it myself!"

"Just because something's been misused doesn't mean it doesn't have a good purpose" the old man said. "Just as the same knife can be used to cut food and to stab someone, alchemy can be used for both good and evil purposes." He then took out a red envelope. "This contains a message for Prince Long Yao-sama. He must read it personally. No one else can." He then gave it to Kyo.

"All right," Kyo said, accepting it. "But why are you giving it to me?"

"You're going to Central City, right?" Chang Tao said.

"Yes so?" Kyo said.

"So deliver this message to him when you get there," the old man told him.

"WHAT! I'm no messenger!" Kyo yelled, having an anger mark on his head.

"I'm an old man who just crossed a great desert," Chang Tao said. "If I didn't know how to transmutate water, Li Bo and I would have probably been dead by now."

"Then you shouldn't have gone!" Kyo said. He then thought of something. "However, if I do deliver this message to him, may I go back with you to Xing?" Kyo was now on his knees in a begging position. Li Bo took this opportunity to grab the book and open it.

"No," the old man said. He then got up. "Come along, Li Bo." At that, the monkey dropped the book and started following his master. However, Kyo wasn't going to give up just yet.

"Wait!" Kyo shouted. He then ran until he caught up with them. "Why won't you let me come with you back to Xing?"

"You don't belong there," Chang Tao said. "Go find your way back home in this country."

"But this place is a mess! I've been almost shot a dozen times and almost got arrested too!" Kyo said. "Any place would be better than here!"

"You said that you came from an island nation even farther than Xing" the old man said. "So why are you here in this part of the world?" At that, Kyo stopped walking.

"Are you saying that there might be a reason why I was placed here?" Kyo asked.

"Just deliver the message to the Prince-sama," Chang Tao said. "Maybe when you go to Central City, you'll be able to find your answer there." Kyo looked at the red envelope. It did seem like a very important message is in it. Maybe he'll get a big reward for the service.

"Fine," Kyo said. "I got to Central anyway." He then saw the monkey got his book again. "That's mine!" He then grabbed the book from him. The monkey screeched in protest.

"I doubt it'll be of any help to us anyway, Li Bo," Chang Tao said. He then looked at Kyo. "Kyo-san, I wish you good luck on your quest. I know how lonesome it can be far from hom. Just be careful with yourself and that book."

"Where are you off to now?" Kyo asked.

"I'm going back home, of course!" the old man said. "Now that I got nothing else to do."

'Why he-' Kyo thought, having an anger mark on his head. But there was nothing else he could do.

"Goodbye, uh, old man," Kyo said. "Or is it 'Sayonara?'"

"Sayonara then," Chang Tao said. Kyo then stood there as he watched Chang Tao and Li Bo, now on his shoulder, walking off to the east.

'Now for Central or the next town' Kyo thought as he went back on his way up north.

End of Chapter Eleven

I hope everyone has been patient with me. I've been sick a lot. Anyway, I'm getting a lot of reviews, so if you don't mind, I'll be giving out my review responses every other chapter instead of every four or five chapters. Author notes are below. Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Please don't forget to review!

Author Notes (Part 1):

Name Origins

Lawrence Boylen, the "Glass Alchemist"- "Boylen" came from Sir Robert Boyle, a 17th century English scientist and alchemist. As his title "Glass Alchemist" suggests, Lawrence Boylen had the ability to transmutate carbon into glass. His laboratory was standard for alchemists. In fact, most of the equipment and techniques used in chemistry was first developed by alchemists. You can find alchemy books under "Chemistry" in the Science & Technology section of the library if they have them.

Aurius d'Orc, the "Midas Alchemist"- "Aurius" came from "aurium," the Latin word for gold. "Orc" came from "oc," an ancient French for gold (the modern word is "or"). As his title "Midas Alchemist" suggests, he had the ability to transmutate anything carbon into gold and other pure metals. As Volume 1 of the manga points out, it's actually illegal to transmutate things into gold in Amestris. This no doubt explains why Aurius went into hiding, where he could practice his craft in secret. That is, until Kyo came along.

Perry Celsus, the "Soul Binding Alchemist"- "Perry Celsus" came from "Paracelsus", a real German alchemist. Paracelsus was said to have created a homunculus from bones, but it rebelled against him and ran away (maybe it'd have been better if Paracelsus got a dog instead). Interestingly enough, Paracelsus' last name was von Hohenheim- yep, the name that Ed and Al's father is referred to. Is there a connection, perhaps? In any case, Perry Celsus as the "Soul-Binding Alchemist" conducted expermients in biological alchemy- the most controversial of them all, since it involves living things. Of course, Fullmetal Alchemist isn't the first work that dealt with this: Though not called as such, biological alchemy and its implications can be traced back to H.G. Wells' novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau," still considered a classic in the misuse of this type of science. "Chimera" or chimaera" was a monster in Greek mythology that was made up of two or more organic parts (like the Minotaur). It was used as a symbol in alchemy, and hopefully nothing more. "Theodorus" by the way, is from one of Paracelsus' real middle names. "Grendel" came from the monster of the Old English ballad "Beowulf."

Warrant Officers Field and Marshall- Field marshal, get it? Yeah, I know that the rank hasn't shown up in Fullmetal Alchemist, but I just couldn't resist.

John Henry- his name came from an American folk legend about a man that tried to outrace a tunnel-digging machine using nothing but a shovel. He won the race but died of exhaustion at the finish line. I decided to select that name for the very strong guy in Chapter Seven.

General Mills- the cereal box company that makes Cheerios. I just couldn't resist again!

Major Lee and Captain Churchill- I had to think a lot for their names before I could come up with anything. "Major Lee" came from Lee Majors, an American tough-guy actor during the 1950s. "Captain Churchill" came from Captain Kirk (I'm a big Star Trek fan)- "Kirk" is Scottish for "church."

Alchemy & Science

Alchemy can be defined in three words- assembling, deassembling and reassembling- but in another form. What the ingredients are, how the process is done, and what the final product is supposed to be, makes up the many schools of alchemy. Since I planned on including an alchemist in an original story, I already had some basic knowledge of alchemy. Sadly, I lost some of my information, but here are the sources of information that I do remember.

(Please note that I cannot guarantee that the sources are 100 accurate or that I personally support everything that is written. But the resources below should be some value to a certain extent. All sources are underlined).

White, Michael. Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Perseus Books (US), Fourth Estates Limited (UK), 1999. In addition to Newton's biography, there's a chapter on the development of alchemy in the West and the East as well as contributions that alchemy had made to science and medicine.

Levity (website)- Contains probably the most images, texts and articles on alchemy on the Internet, which no doubt would have made Ed and Al very happy if they could have access to them. Practically every type of alchemy from around the world is included. It's a treasure grove of alchemy knowledge!

Alchemylab (website)- The Electronic Dictionary has a lot of alchemy symbols and their meanings, which has been a bit useful to me if nothing else.

Serpent's Cross (website)- a FMA fansite that contains some information on real alchemy too. I forgot the URL since it changed locations so much but I can give the forum URL if you want it.

Anime Insider (magazine)- A monthly (formerly bimonthly) magazine devoted to anime and manga that is available in North America, created by Wizard Entertainment. There are a few FMA articles that I have found useful, especially the February/March 2005 issue on the transmutation symbols, the composition of the human body, and the cadaceus (see Chapter Two on that one).

Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)- Hiromu Arakawa did a superb job in researching her materials, and it shows. She simplified alchemy, put it in terms everyone can understand, and also shows its dark side as well. I'm also impressed that she included Chinese alchemy ("Rentanjutsu" in the manga), it being represented by Ran Fan of Ling Yao's Xing company (as I call the group). See "Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist Mangas" down below for more information.

I also used one of my old school book, Physical Science, published by McGraw-Hill, when I needed information on physics and chemistry.

Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist Mangas

Fruits Basket- In my search for scanlations one day, I came across a site called "Cherry Blossoms." I read Fruits Basket since I love animals, and I was immediately hooked. I now get updates from the fabulous Furuba Forums, and from reading fanfiction. I also have Volumes 3-13 but I can get the rest from the library.

Fullmetal Alchemist- I found a link from a Digimon forum to Anime-Source, which had some FMA scanlations. What I read completely blew me away. However, Anime-Source put down the scanlations when the manga was made available in English. But from the Serpent's Cross forum, I discovered Readmanga, which had a Manga Online Reader that made it easier for me to upload pages. I also can just choose pages by number, which proved very useful when I'm looking for something. Of course, the MSN site has other FMA stuff, but I rely mostly on Readmanga for the above reasons. Since I buy the mangas, I feel I can get the updates with a clear conscience since I'm already buying the product.

I also like to thank Coles, my local bookstore and my local Kentville library for supplying me with the mangas and DVDs and the Internet connection to fuel my love for anime and manga. I'll be forever grateful.

Writing in General

A fanfiction writer is still a writer, so here's my resources when I need help on my writing:

Webster's English Dictionary- Canadian edition

Roget's Thesaurus

Webster's English/French Dictionary- Canadian edition

Quick Access Reference for Writers- Canadian edition (on the rare occasion my computer noted a grammar error but I didn't know to fix it).

Additional notes and review responses will be on Chapter Twelve.

Next Chapter: First Night in Central (manga spoilers ahead!)


	12. First Night in Central

**Chapter Twelve of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

I hope everyone had a good, if not great, summer! As a special treat, I managed to upload two chapters instead of one! I got extra treats in store for my patient readers.

Anyway, a lot has happened between this and the last chapter. For once, I watched the ENTIRE Fruits Basket anime! Yes, I actually got hold of all four volumes, though not at the same time. I really love it that there were eight or nine episodes in each volume (most other animes have only three to five episodes in each volume), so I could spend hours just watching them. I'll probably can spend hours just writing about it. I'm just so glad that I was finally able to watch the anime in my own home. Maybe I can get the card game next time!

I don't know if any of my readers know this, but there is actually FMA novels out- yes, novels based on the manga, and I bought the second one. 'Why not the first novel?' you may ask. Well, the first one was just on the fake Elric brothers, and even I know how that ends, so I bought the second book instead. I could also spend hours writing about this (maybe I should do it in my forum) but I was quite interested in the fact that Roy and Ed team up, not once, but twice during the book. It's not something that you think before, but I have never seen them work like that, not even in the manga. There are three books now that is available in English, so pick one up if you can. As far as I know, there are no Fruits Basket novels though.

Speaking of Fruits Basket, in case you haven't heard, the magazine TIME, (yes the magazine), did an interview with Natsuki Takaya! I have read the interview on the website itself, but if you can get hold of the magazine, please do so!

I have some sad news: a former feline companion of mine, Angel, died on August 17, 2006, from being hit by a car. Angel was 16. Since I can't put her obituary in the local newspapers, I decided to put it in my profile. Please read it after you're done with reading these chapters. She was my real first cat, and I already missed her very much.

By the way, Volumes 7 and 8 of the FMA manga are out, so if you can, buy them! The Xing company is finally here! Yay!

Now that's done with, let this chapter begin!

"I didn't expect to make this much money off my fish" Kyo said as he counted the coins. "My salesmanship must really have improved." He then put all the coins back into his pouch. "I should have enough money to last a few days, unless prices get jacked up." Kyo then looked at the sky. "The sun has about some time before it goes down. I better get going before it sets." Kyo then resumed his journey.

It was almost before nightfall that Kyo reached his destination.

'Wow! This is the biggest place yet!' Kyo thought. He then looked around, seeing people walking and talking. 'This is a very busy place! Is this a city?' He didn't seem to notice that many people were beginning to notice him.

"That guy has orange hair!" a young man exclaimed.

"Could he be the one that's wanted by the military?" his female companion asked.

"Huh?" Kyo said. He then saw that a great crowd was now gathering around him, and none of them had orange hair.

"That's the Cat Man! I saw him in Rush Valley!" a little girl said. Kyo looked at her.

"Hey! I'm not-" Kyo started to say when he heard a commotion behind him. "I got to get out of here!" He then took out his spear and clapped his hands against it. It lengthened to almost the size of a pole vault, which Kyo used to lift himself over the crowd. The entire crowd ooohed and ahhhed in response. Kyo then dashed into a side street.

"Someone call the military!" a man yelled.

'Dammit! I need a place to hide, but how am I going to do that when so many people are after me?' Kyo thought. He then walked into a run-down section of the city.

'Now how did all of this begin?' Kyo thought as he continued walking. 'It all started when I found that book in Shigure's room and I read it. I then figured I could defeat Yuki with it and- oh yeah! It's that damn rat's fault! Maybe I should look for someone that can train me to become stronger so when I do, I can finally beat that damn rat!' He then realized something. 'I should have stayed in that lady's place after all!' He then looked up at the darkening sky. 'But first, I need a place to stay for the night.'

Kyo did eventually found a place that he could afford for at least one night. Refusing to allow his possessions to be placed in a safe (who knows what might happen to them when he couldn't be there?), he went inside his room. He was relieved that no one but him was there- if he had to share a room with someone, he didn't know what to do.

'No television…an antique radio…I bet there's no air conditioning either,' Kyo thought. He then went on the bed. 'At least I can think freely now. Still where can I go tomorrow if this keeps up?' He then heard voices from the other side of the wall.

"We got some dough from the East Central Bank. It took three bullets before the teller finally shut up however," a gruff-sounding man said. Kyo got off the bed and put his ears to the wall.

"So where should we go next?" another man said. Kyo was now drawing circles on two pieces of paper on his bed.

"We only got 7 million cens, so we have to rob another bank. How about we go to the Main Central Bank?" another man said. "We probably can't go in like the last bank, but we can-"

Kyo then put the pieces of paper on the wall with his hands. All of a sudden flames erupted, burning a hole on the wall.

"What the hell…a demon!" a bald man with a black skull tattoo said.

"I'm no demon! What I want is for you to shut up!" Kyo blurted as he came in through the burned-up wall with pieces of burnt-up paper in his hands.

"It has orange hair!" one of the other men yelled.

"It's an orange-haired demon!" another man cried out.

"Listen, I don't care what you think of me, but I do care what you do to innocent people!" Kyo said. He then raised his voice even louder. "DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY!"

One of the men responded by raising a pistol and firing at him. However, amid the smoke, his shot wasn't accurate, but the sound was loudly heard.

"What the hell do you think-?" one of the other men said. Kyo, for all purposes, went "Black."

"THAT'S IT! TIME TO MEET YOUR MAKER!" Kyo shouted. He then practically proceeded to beat up everyone in the room- only one guy managed to escape, but only because he was the closest to the door. The other men tried to flee as well, but Kyo managed to grab them and beat the stuffing out of them before they did.

In the end, Kyo was the only one left standing in the room. Not a drop of sweat came off his head and he wasn't even breathing heavily. Still, Kyo felt better than ever, as if pounding them lifted the stress at least momentarily.

Still there was one big problem left…

'Now that's done, how am I going to cover up the hole?' Kyo thought. He then looked at it on the wall. 'Ah, crap!'

He walked through the hole and into his room. Kyo was relieved that the bed or his pouch was left intact. Still, what was he going to do about the hole on the wall?

'I wonder since I used alchemy to make the hole, I could cover it up with alchemy?' Kyo thought. He then pulled out his book. It was now getting cluttered with papers from his travels.

"Dammit!" Kyo said. "I thought I could read this book, but now I can't! Was it just a fluke?" He then looked through all the papers he had. Some were notes that Kyo made when he was Bitch-sensei's house, while a few were drawings that Kyo had copied from Celsus-san's house. In addition, there was Havoc-san's map and note, plus the Xingese red envelope that Chang Tao gave him. Kyo then put everything, including the book, back into the pouch.

'I might be charged for this mess or I might get charged for arson!' Kyo thought. 'I got to get out of here!' He then saw the burnt pieces of paper on the floor. Should he get rid of them too?

'Ah forget it!' Kyo thought. He then took his pouch, opened the window, and went out.

Kyo soon found himself on the street again. The sky was as clear as anything, but Kyo didn't look up at it as he went down the street.

'Where should I go next?' Kyo thought. It was one thing to be out at night in the open countryside; it was another to be out in a strange city late at night.

Kyo decided to go where the street lights were bright- a move that would alerted the military, but Kyo didn't know that until later on.

In any case, Kyo started walking along the main street.

'I suppose I could sell the silver watch for a night at an inn' Kyo thought. 'Of course if they don't accept it…' Kyo then saw an inn that still had its lights on. 'It's worth trying at least.' He then entered the inn.

A few minutes later…

"That guy sure turned weird when I showed him that watch!" Kyo said to himself, running down the street. "And when he asked for my registration code, I got so freaked out that I fled! Now I'm back to square one!" He then sat down in an alleyway, not knowing what else to do.

Just then Kyo felt a pair of eyes looking up at him. At first, Kyo thought it was a cat but then realized it was the wrong shape.

It then made a very uncat sound. Kyo went back startled.

'What the hell is that?' Kyo thought. Just then he heard a girl's voice.

"Xiao Mei! Xiao Mei! Where are you?" she said. The "thing" then made that sound again. "Oh there you are!" Kyo then heard small footsteps coming at him. He then saw her picking up the animal.

"You shouldn't go off like that, Xiao Mei! I was so worried!" the girl said. Kyo then heard her say words that sounded like Chinese to him.

Just then he heard heavier footsteps.

"Did you find your cat yet?" a man's voice sounded.

"She's not a cat!" the girl said, apparently miffed. "She's a panda!"

"What? A panda?" Kyo said.

"Oh, so you found someone, Xiao Mei?" the girl said. "Good evening sir! I'm Mei Chan!"

"I'm Kyo Sohma," Kyo said, feeling a little better.

"Are you lost yourself? Why don't you come with me and Yoki-san?" Mei Chan said.

"What? We can't let him join us!" the man protested.

"Why not? I'm sure that Scar-san wouldn't mind!" the girl said.

"Scar-san?" Kyo said.

"Yeah!" Mei Chan said. "He went out for a while, but he'll be back. Why don't you come out into the lights? I want to see you!" Kyo shrugged. Why not? he thought

"I guess I can do that," Kyo said. He then walked onto the street. He then saw the faces of the girl and the man.

The short man looked like he was in his thirties, with a long moustache and a somewhat bored expression on his face- Kyo had a feeling that he wouldn't like him. On the other hand, Kyo looked down and saw a young girl- she couldn't be younger than ten- wearing traditional Chinese clothing. She held a small panda in her arms.

"A baby panda!" Kyo exclaimed.

"She's not a baby, she's just small," Mei Chan said, defensively.

"I see…" Kyo said.

"So why are you out here anyway?" the man, Yoki, asked him. "You don't appear to be a beggar or a street urchin."

"I like to ask you the same thing," Kyo said.

"Did you get lost too?" Mei Chan questioned.

"I guess so. This is my first time here," Kyo replied.

"Really? I'm not from here too!" Mei Chan said. "In fact, I'm from Xing!" At that, Kyo looked surprised. "Um is something wrong, Kyo-san?"

'I knew it! That old man from Xing said that there was a company that was looking for the Philosopher's Stone here!' Kyo thought. 'Could this girl be a part of that company?'

"Did you come here alone or were part of some company?" Kyo asked her.

"Oh I didn't come alone," Mei Chan said. "I had Xiao Mei with me! I can't say the reason why I'm here though!"

"So is there any others?" Kyo then asked.

"I don't know," Mei Chan said, looking down at her panda. She then looked up at him again. "But I have a new mission now!"

"A new mission?" Kyo inquired.

"Yes!" Mei Chan said. "My new mission is to find Edward-san!"

'Edo-san?' Kyo thought.

"He's my hero!" Mei Chan said. "He's a real alchemist, and one of the greatest in Amestris! Plus, I bet he's really handsome!" She then went into "shojo" mode.

"I see…" Kyo said, looking at all the hearts and flowers around her.

"Bah!" Yoki said. "State Alchemists ruined my life!"

'He's a State Alchemist!' Kyo thought.

"Are you an alchemist?" Kyo then asked her.

"Well yeah, but I can also fight too." Mei Chan said. Kyo was about to ask something else when footsteps caused Mei Chan and Yoki to go back into the alley.

"Hide, Kyo-san!" Mei Chan said in a low voice. Kyo then followed them back into the alley. Sure enough, the footsteps became louder and louder.

"That orange-haired guy is here in Central?" a man's voice was heard.

"Yeah, that's what the caller said" another man said. "He apparently was seen today in the market, but it has been recently reported that he was seen here in Main Street too."

'Dammit!' Kyo thought. 'I should have known that I would be spotted if I went out in the lights!'

"Why do you think he's in Central anyway?" the first man asked. "You don't think it's because of that book?"

'The book?' Kyo thought.

"Nah. I think he just wandered into here," the other man said.

"If the Flame Alchemist is handling this case, then he'll be captured soon" the first man said. "The colonel never lets a man go if he can help it."

"Yeah," the other man said. "Why don't we go back to the base? I don't like walking around out here with you-know-who also at large."

"I'll say," the first man said. "He probably went somewhere else anyway." At that, they walked off much to Kyo's relief.

"Tell me something, who is the name of that colonel they were talking about?" Kyo asked Yoki after it was quiet again.

"The Flame Alchemist… that would be Colonel Roy Mustang," Yoki said. "He was transferred from East City a short time ago from what I heard."

"Roy Mustang?" Kyo said. That name did sound familiar to him.

"Let's just say that you don't want to be in the vicinity when he start shooting his flames," Yoki said.

"What about Scar-san?" Kyo asked. "Where is he? What is he doing now?"

"Scar-san just got up, said he had to go somewhere and left" Mei Chan said. "But he'll be back before morning. He's usually does."

"I don't think you would want to know anyway," Yoki whispered into his ear.

"We should be going back home now, Yoki-san," Mei Chan said.

"Very well then" Yoki said. He then followed her out of the alley.

"Wait! Where's your home?" Kyo inquired.

"Let us show you it" Mei Chan said. "Don't worry. I'm sure that Scar-san wouldn't mind you joining us."

"If he doesn't mind…" Kyo said. He then followed them to a part of the city that seemed neglected. Kyo saw a bunch of people warming themselves over a lit metal trash can. Kyo couldn't believe it- he only thought such scenes just exist in movies.

"Where are you taking me?" Kyo inquired.

"To our home, of course," Mei Chan said. "It's just a little shack though."

"Look at him!" a man said, pointing at Kyo.

"My eyes must be going on me," another man said. "I swear that guy's hair is orange!"

"You don't suppose he used orange juice for that?" a woman said.

"It's real!" Kyo hissed, sprouting car ears.

"Ignore them," Yoki said. "They got nothing else to do." Kyo took a good look at them. They seemed to be a different type of people than the ones that Kyo have encountered so far.

"Who are these people?" Kyo asked Yoki.

"They're refugees from a war," Yoki said. "It's better to leave it as that."

"This is where Scar-san sometimes go," Mei Chan said. It did look like a little shack.

"Is this where he lives?" Kyo inquired.

"I don't think he really has a place, but we're staying here for now," Yoki said.

"How long does he stay out?" Kyo asked them.

"A few hours, a full night," Mei Chan replied. "It's hard to know when he'll come back, but he usually returns in the morning."

"WHAT?" Kyo said. "I'm not going to stay here that long!"

"Do you have another place to stay then?" Yoki asked.

'Hmm…' Kyo thought. He then looked up trying to think. All of a sudden the light bulb in Kyo's head dimmed.

"Well, if you don't have any other place to stay, you can stay here and sleep with the rats- the people or the animals," Yoki said. Kyo looked at him.

"I'm not sleeping with any rats!" Kyo said. "Look, just tell me what he looks like! Maybe I can find him myself!" At that, Yoki looked scared.

"But-but aren't you being hunted by the authorities?" Yoki said. "You shouldn't go out there- it could be dangerous!"

"Oh I'll be fine," Kyo said. "Just tell me what he looks like. I'll go look for him."

"He's tall, has white hair, wears dark glasses and has a X-shaped scar on his face," Mei Chan told him, holding Xiao Mei close to her.

"That should be enough to find him. I'm going now," Kyo said. He started to walk away but then stopped. "Girl, I hope that you find the person that you're looking for."

"Thank you! You too!" Mei Chan said.

"Whatever you do, if you meet him, don't tell him that you're a State Alchemist!" Yoki warned. Kyo looked back at him.

"I'm not a State Alchemist!" Kyo roared. He then ran off, avoiding the well-lit streets, as he didn't t want to attract any more attention, and thinking that Scar wouldn't be there anyway.

'Why did that guy warned me not to tell that Scar guy I'm a State Alchemist- if I ever was one?' Kyo thought. 'Who are these State Alchemists? What are their real purpose?'

The dark sky left little light for Kyo, but with his extra sensitive eyes, Kyo was able to find his way around. It was a few hours later when he finally realized something.

'Dammit! Now I'm lost!' Kyo thought. 'I should have stayed where I was! Now I don't know my way back!' Kyo then went into an alley, where he sat down to think. A few rats came to him.

'It looks like I'll be sleeping with the rats after all,' Kyo thought. 'That damn Yuki! He's likely smiling right now! Once I get back, I'll show him! Once I get back…' But for the moment, all Kyo could do was wait until there was enough light for him to find his way back. He just hoped that no one in a blue uniform would see him before then.

A while later…

'It's dusk already?' Kyo opened his eyes and then got up. 'I never thought it would come!' He then stepped onto the street.

'It still look like a ghost town' Kyo thought. 'I can only see and hear, but everything else…' He then looked at his hands and clenched them.

"Dammit it all!" Kyo shouted, punching a nearby wall. All of a sudden a car's brakes could be heard.

"You're the Cat Alchemist, aren't you?" the man asked, then jumped out of his car. Kyo saw that the man was wearing a very dark blue military uniform. It was different from the rest he had seen- Kyo guessed that the man was either of very low rank or was from a different part of the military.

"Who the hell are you?" Kyo asked. "What do you want with me?"

"You're under arrest for various crimes," the man said. "If you surrender peacefully, you'll be treated accordingly." Kyo didn't have time to waste on him.

"I really don't want to go to jail, so-" Kyo said. He then fled.

"Hey!" the man said. "Resisting an arrest is also a crime!"

"I don't got time for you!" Kyo shouted back. He then ran as fast as he could, hoping that the man wasn't stupid enough to shoot on an open street.

BANG!

Guess not.

'How am I suppose to escape from him?' Kyo thought. He really wished then that he stayed where he was- at least there would be people who could help him. Kyo then saw an open alley.

'I can transmutate something there!' Kyo thought. He then went into the alley. 'Now all I can do is get my pen and notepad out and think-'

BANG!

The bullet, of course, didn't hit him but he was so occupied with his thoughts that when he felt something graze his feet, he tripped. He then looked up to see the man pointing a gun at him.

"In the name of the Fuehrer President King Bradley, surrender and you'll be brought to a fair trial for your crimes!" the man said. "If not, I'm afraid that I have no choice but to shoot you!"

'This guy is a nut, but I can't escape here!' Kyo thought. 'What can I do though? Only a miracle can save me now!'

Then it happened.

A tall, dark figure suddenly appeared behind the man. Kyo then saw that the strange man had white hair and dark glasses. A X-shaped scar was on his face. Kyo then saw him move his right hand toward the soldier.

"Watch out!" Kyo shouted as he saw the strange man reached out to grab the soldier's head. The soldier turned his head but he was too late to avoid the coming hand.

SHK!

A second later, the soldier fell down in a pool of his own blood. As for Kyo, he couldn't even scream.

End of Chapter Twelve

I don't want to waste my time here, but you can guess who Kyo will meet next, eh? Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Author Notes Part 2 are below. Don't forget to review!

Author Notes Part 2

I did a few things in this story that I never did before. One of them was putting the date of the source publications along with the name and author. I also included the name of the next chapter at the end of every chapter. I guess I knew that this fic would be special.

I should make note to people that when I started to write this story, the FMA manga hasn't been released in English yet, and what I did know was from an incomplete list of FMA scanlations. In fact, I wasn't even reading them for three months when I decided to do a crossover with Fruits Basket. Plus, I've never done a crossover before, unless a song parody that was erased from counts. But like any good writer, I welcomed the challenge. However, because of my inexperience in writing such a thing, mistakes were inevitable. I therefore appreciate any patience that my readers displayed so far. As expected, I lost some of my reviewers, but if you were with me in the early chapters and are still reading, thank you so much!

Now you may ask, 'Why a Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover?' The answer is simple- I didn't make this out of the blue. Oh no, I was actually inspired by a couple of Fruits Basket/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover pics that I saw on the Internet that featured Kyo. That made me think, and when I start thinking, it's bound to land on paper.

'So why Kyo as the main character?' one may then ask. Well, Kyo was the main character in the crossover pics, and let's face it, he's more fun to write than Yuki. I knew when I decided to make Kyo use alchemy to go to the FMA world, that I would get questions as to whether other Fruits Basket characters will follow Kyo. The answer is yes- someone has to come and tell Kyo what really happened to him. But while I love the suggestions that I already received, I already made up my mind as to who it/they should be- let's just say that if I already put them in an extra, that person isn't the one that I chose.

As for the extras, how many of them actually like them? As you can probably tell, most of the extras are on Fruits Basket characters that wouldn't be coming to the FMA world, though a few came out of the blue, so to speak. Basing on the fic on the manga instead of the anime was a big help, as I could actually see the dialogue as well as follow people's movements better.

When I first started this fic, one of my greatest fears was that nobody would know what I was talking about when I started to put in the manga-only characters like Dr. Knox, Ling Yao, Ran Fan, etc., in addition to what happened to Second Lieutenant Havoc and Scar's connection to Winry's parents. More recently, a little of Roy and Riza's past was disclosed. All of these things were starting to make my head spin, so I was happy when Arakawa-sensei went back to Ishbal flashbacks. Trying to juggle all of this is going to be hard, so I'll love to hear of any feedback on this.

The reason why I waited so long to put the FMA characters was that I didn't want my readers to get the impression that I barely knew them when I started putting them into my story. It usually takes me a long time after I found a work I like before I decide to write about it, so this is really fast. I have been getting mixed messages regarding this, so I have no idea how I'm actually doing. If you're able to tell me exactly how I'm proceeding, please do so.

I know that most of you would probably want to read my actual chapter notes. There'll be nothing earth-shattering, I think, but here it goes:

Chapter One

This fic takes place after Volume 11 of the Fruits Basket manga and Chapter 55 of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, after the Lust incident was done and over with. It's such a shame that Hughes got killed off so early, because I would have loved to have him in the story, but there's nothing I can do about that. (sigh) Still, don't you think it was convenient that Kyo found an alchemy book in the Sea of Decay a.k.a. Shigure's room?

Chapter Two

The list of elements and metals and other things that Kyo wrote down was from an actual alchemy webpage- I then added 'copper,' 'tin' and 'lead' later on. There were originally 'amalgam' and 'mortar' too but I eliminated them since they weren't important to the story. The story of the Philosopher's Story is pretty interesting- some thought it would be an actual stone, while others thought it would be a powder or a red liquid- like the imperfect ones that Tim Marcoh made.

I put in extra notes on Nicolas Flamel and the caduceus (the symbol of alchemy) though I should add here that Nicolas Flamel's book did reportedly survive for a time- it was even said to exist until the end of the 18th century at the least. Flamel himself made a living selling books, that helped him finance his true love- alchemy. In fact, he was the one that created the snake-and-rod symbol that is found in Fullmetal Alchemist- his own grave has it too, which is just as well, as after his death, people took everything in his house in their search for making the Philosopher's Stone. By the way, the exterior of the house still stands today in France.

Chapter Three

I should have known that Tim Marcoh would have an alias- though I was so surprised that it's so close to his original name that I didn't bother fixing the errors. If you have been reading the manga lately online, then you should know what happened to him. I'll try to get back to his situation- if Scar doesn't finish him off.

Lawrence Boylen's incident, of course, would attract the attention of the military, as Chapter Six showed, and yes, he did become insane after seeing the book.

Chapter Four

I actually watched a documentary on the real Greek king named Midas, whose wealth may have been the basis for the Midas legend. However, his tomb was burned and destroyed, as much as everything else in connection with him, proving that while money can sustain a person during his life, but not after death.

Chapter Five & Six

This was actually one long chapter that I divided into two for convenience. By the way, the drawing on the wall that Kyo saw in the library is the same one that Ed and Al used in their attempt to resurrect their mother- I recognized the symbols for water, iron, copper, salt and essence, but nothing else. This also marks the first time Kyo transforms, and the first time he sees someone/something getting killed, though sadly it wouldn't be the last time, not to mention the first appearance of the Spirit of the Cat (I wonder what it really would look like!). I also should've been clearer on where Kyo was going- Kyo didn't go all the way east as I couldn't resist taking him to Rush Valley first. And oh yes, the pocket watch is either gold or silver depending on the volume you read. Dammit!

The ideas for the first two extras were from Volumes 8 and 4 of the Fruits Basket mangas respectively. By the way, I think that Ayame is used to the way Yuki and Kyo treats him, so he should be okay, though I think that Yuki and Kyo wouldn't mind if Roy decided to barbecue him.

Of all those that reviewed the first few chapters, only Rayame325 is still reviewing. Thanks so much for your continual support!

Chapter Seven

I had a hard time figuring out the value of sens (or cens) compared to the dollar. I later learned that 'sen' is a hundredth of the 'yen,' comparable to our 'penny'. So if Kyo had to give the man 10 000 cens for the rod, he paid $10.00 for it. As for what Kyo was drawing with his feet during the rumble, it was the alchemy symbol for air- an upside down triangle with a line across it at the top. By the way, I wonder how many cats that Kyo sold that day ran away again. This chapter is the turning point for the military's involvement with Kyo- after all, an accident is something that the military can overlook, but resisting arrest and assaulting two military officers couldn't be ignored.

Chapter Eight

Ah, Second Lieutenant Havoc, or I should say, the former Second Lieutenant Havoc. This is straight from the manga, as Havoc was forced to resign from the military because of his spinal injury that Lust inflicted on him. Yet, he became the perfect person for Kyo to talk to, since he wasn't part of the military anymore, yet knew enough about it without getting Kyo too suspicious. As for his parents, I did see his mother crying when he was still in the hospital and I know that his parents owned a store, though I have no idea what store it would be. My own guess would be a general store, where you could buy all sorts of stuff. By the way Havoc's map and note will play a later part in the story. I always wondered if a person starts from Major if he joins the military and then becomes a State Alchemist or vice versa. The answer is yes, but he initially has the power of a Captain. This is also the second time that Kyo transforms. I imagined that by then his case would have been shipped over to Central, in which it will land on Roy's head, quite literally may I add.

Chapter Nine & Ten

Kyo goes south again, but this time to Dublith. If there were anyone that could teach him alchemy, it would be Izumi. She would be an excellent teacher, but I know that Kyo doesn't stand abuse very well, so he would only stay for a week. As for Kyo's new powers, I wouldn't comment on them now but I will later on. In Chapter Nine, not only did I add Roy and Armstrong, but also revealed their plan on capturing Kyo. In Chapter Fourteen, Armstrong, Breda and Fury will go after Kyo; then in Chapter Fifteen, Roy and Hawkeye will go after him too; Chapter Sixteen is the side-story, and then Chapter Seventeen will see the debut of Ed and Al so don't miss that! (and you thought that I wasn't going to put them in my story!) In Chapter Ten, it was indeed Gluttony and Envy that found the bodies of Celsus and Grendel. The homunculus also has plans for Kyo so be sure not to miss anything!

I think that's about it, so unless there's something else that you want me to go over, I'll stop it at that.

Once again, thanks for the support!

Next Chapter: Kyo and the Right Hand of Destruction


	13. Kyo and the Right Hand of Destruction

**Chapter Thirteen of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

I just want people to know that I'm a Scar supporter! Read on!

Now that's over with, let this chapter begin!

SPLAT!

Kyo tried to move his mouth and legs but neither responded.

The white-haired man dropped the corpse onto the ground, covering it with rivulets of blood. He then looked at Kyo, who didn't know which was worse- seeing a man getting killed or watching someone explode from within. And it was all from the man's own hand.

'What is he going to do now?' Kyo thought. The man then started walking toward him, seemingly oblivious to the carnage he produced, or to the horror that was surfacing in Kyo's mind.

Kyo thought he knew what true horror was. He remembered seeing Tohru when Shishou forced him to transform into the cat spirit's true form. He remembered how terrified she was when he tried to rip her apart. And how she confessed her true feelings when she finally got hold of him. It wasn't wrong to feel horrified, but he was happy that she had the courage to tell him the truth. He didn't know what would happen if she didn't.

Still, that was one type of horror. This is one step worse. He had just seen an actual human being getting killed, and now the killer was walking toward him.

'He'll kill me, I know it!' Kyo thought. 'He'll kill me just to erase all witnesses! I got to run! I got to run!' But his legs wouldn't move- the horror was affecting his ability to move.

The man suddenly stopped.

"Are you the Cat Alchemist?" the man questioned. All of a sudden Kyo felt like moving again.

"Yes, I mean, no, I mean, I'm not one of them!" Kyo shouted.

"I know that," the man said. "Come." At that, the man turned around and started walking away.

"You expect me to follow you?" Kyo asked him.

"Do you want to be chased again?" the man replied.

"No…" Kyo replied. "All right, I'll come." He then paused. "But you better promise that you'll not hurt me."

"I promise," the man said. He did sound sincere.

"Alright," Kyo said. "I'm coming."

"Don't try to stray," the man said. At that, he walked away. Kyo then followed him.

"What about the man that you, uh, killed?" Kyo asked. "You're going to leave him just lying there?"

"He was a dog when he lived" the man said. "Let him lie there. His masters shall find him soon enough."

'This guy isn't an alchemist, is he?' Kyo thought. 'I mean, he did kill a member of the military. And how did he do it? Did he use alchemy? I want to ask him but I'm afraid what he might do to me if I did.' He then followed him to a section of the city that looked very run-down.

"Do you have a home?" Kyo asked him.

"No," the man replied. "I go wherever God wants to put me."

"Okay…" Kyo said. So he had to deal with one of those people.

"Did God tell you to kill that man?" Kyo then questioned cautiously.

"God told me to punish the sinners that used alchemy for evil," the man said. "For those that change the natural order of things." Kyo decided not to respond to that. He then looked around.

"Wait a minute! I know this place!" Kyo exclaimed.

"You've been here?" the man asked.

"Yeah! I mean a girl and a man took me here and-" Kyo stopped when he realized something. "Is your name Scar?"

"That's what I'm called, yes," Scar answered. At that, Kyo went back.

"I-I can see why the military wants you," Kyo said. "You're a murderer!"

"I only kill those that violate God's will," Scar told him. "I admit I may be a murderer, but I only strike the guilty and those that support them. They-they strike down my innocent people, and then try to cover it up under the guise of war!" He then looked down at Kyo with his dark glasses. "Now tell me who is the more guilty one?"

"I didn't say that I was on their side, alright?" Kyo said, putting his hands down as if trying to calm him down. "They tried to kill me too. But this is their country, right? There must be thousands of them versus only one of you. So what makes you think you can just pick them off one by one like they'll allow you to do that?" Kyo then saw him take off his dark glasses and wiped them with his shirt. For the first time, Kyo saw his red eyes. This would normally alarm a person, but Kyo was too used to the different eye colours of his family to raise any concern.

"My older brother gave me a gift," Scar said. "Before a State Alchemist killed him, he imparted me with a power that could help my people. It's this-" At that, he rolled up his right arm.

Kyo was shocked at what he saw.

"Is that sort of alchemy?" Kyo asked, looking at the markings on his arm.

"My older brother got them from an Xingese book," Scar replied. "There are those that create and those that destroy. If someone is going to create something, there must be someone that will eventually destroy it."

"I see…" Kyo said, though he didn't sound sincere. "So where did all these people come from?" Children were running around while an old man watched them, sitting and smoking a pipe. He seemed to be content.

"Most of the people here came from the East as well," Scar answered. "They were refugees from the war and the genocide."

"Genocide!" Kyo's voice was so loud that it caused the old man and children to stop what they were doing and looked at him. Kyo immediately felt foolish.

"There was a genocide?" Kyo asked in a lower tone.

"Yes" Scar answered. "You never heard of it before?"

"No," Kyo replied. "I mean I've heard of the wars and rebellions, but not any genocide."

"Who did you hear them from?" Scar inquired.

"A man from Rush Valley," Kyo replied. "It's south of here."

"I know that," Scar said. "I mean, where that place is."

"So why are you here in Central?" Kyo asked. "You should know that State Alchemists live here-"

"I know, and that's why I'm here," Scar said. Kyo looked a little puzzled. "I see that you still are confused. I shall tell you the whole story.

My people, the Ishbalans, were a gentle and peaceful people that live in the Eastern Desert. We worship the one god, Ishbala, the creator of all good things, who wish for nothing but peace and harmony in all His creations. But as you must know, man in his quest for power rarely respects his creator's views on things.

Unlike most people, my people only wanted to live by His laws and statues. As a result, we were happy. My own family were happy- Father, Brother and myself, Mother dying when I was still very young. My people desired nothing from the outside world. We live in the desert, so we thought we could live our own lives in peace. But as you already know, it didn't stay that way for long.

To make the account short, we found ourselves in the midst of a war that we didn't want. Father, Brother, those accursed alchemists killed them! They tried to kill us all!" Scar said, clenching his right fist. "But the will of God wouldn't be stopped by those twisted monsters!"

"But you use alchemy for your own purpose-" Kyo started to say when Scar put up his right arm.

"If I must use this accursed arm, let it be to avenge my people that fell during the war and to protect the ones that did survive!" he said. He then looked at Kyo. "My older brother wanted me to use alchemy for the good of our people, and if God had granted me the power to do it, I shall do it!" Kyo sighed.

If Kyo were Tohru or Haru, he would likely feel sorry for him and would want to help him. Kyo, however, weren't Tohru or Haru. In addition, he could see that Scar's problem was bigger than just the war or the State Alchemists- Kyo had seen with his own eyes the messed up condition of this country and it's likely not even Scar could solve its problems. Surely, revenge at least wouldn't bring the dead back to life.

Still, doing nothing wouldn't solve problems either. But what could he do?

Kyo then took out his book and flipped through it. There were bunches of alchemy symbols on one page. Scar looked down at it.

"I don't want it" Scar said.

"I didn't intend to give it to you" Kyo said. "But those State Alchemists want my book."

"Yes and…?" Scar questioned.

"Then maybe-" Kyo then ripped a few pages from the book. "You can have these, you know, to put them off my track."

"You want me to help you?" Scar asked.

"I don't have an arm that can make people burst from within, so I need some way to distract them," Kyo said. "If they see you with these papers, then they might go after you instead."

"So I can destroy them," Scar said. He then smiled. "I think I like your plan."

"So is it a deal?" Kyo asked, extending his hand.

"It's a deal," Scar said. They then shook hands, leaving Kyo with a book that has a bunch of fewer papers than before, while Scar, now equipped with a bunch of State Alchemist baits, continued on with his "holy" mission.

"I guess I can stay up here until night falls again," Kyo said, looking at his pocket watch. It was now nearly nine o'clock. He then closed the lid. "At least I hope I can rest in peace until then." He then put his pouch down and laid his head on it as the sun shown on the parapet roof he was on. Kyo didn't know it but cats from other buildings were starting to encircle the building that Kyo was resting on.

End of Chapter Thirteen

I can't believe that I'm through with these last two chapters! I love doing the author notes and review responses, but I'm happy that it's done, at least for now. My next turn for review responses will be in the side-story, that is, Chapter 16. I also plan for four extras, yes, four extras, in the side-story so be sure to wait for that. Author notes of course will be after Chapter 20 and it would probably be a doozy once again. Of course, I wouldn't get there if I don't know whether people are reading or not, and the quickest way for me to know is for people to review, so do it now! Fruits Basket (1999) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Review responses from Chapters 5-10 are below. And don't forget to review!

Review responses:

SakuraSagura: You likely have read Chapter 12 by now, so you already have met Mei Chan and Xiao Mei. I actually chose to base this story on the manga, as I can write on the Xing characters. Kyo of course would have to meet the others too, but it would be interesting to see what happens when he does, if you know the later manga chapters.

Suiren-san: I think you got that map from a forum, am I right? I wasn't able to enlarge it either. I did find something interesting though- Amestris was the name of a real Persian queen. You never know what you'll find in a web search!

XxPureOtakuPyroXx - Thank you for liking my story so much, though if you really want to help me, you should recommend this fic to a few of your friends. The more the merrier, right? I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as well. If you want to know when Ed will appear, I already answered that in SakuraSagura's review response in Chapter Ten and in the last chapter. I don't like to repeat myself, so just be patient.

Rayame325- Kyo sure have been through a lot, hasn't he? Of course, it's bound to get worse if you know the manga. And thank you for reviewing most of my updates!

As for the French, no, I needed the French for Kyo's alchemy book- unless Kyo is reading from the book, I don't need to use it. And yes, I get most of my mangas I read and all my anime DVDs I watch from the library. I really love it since it doesn't cost me any money (unless they're overdue) and I can check to see whether I like them or not, without buying them first. And thank you for your continual support- it means a lot to me.

RileyKiller- I had to laugh when I read your last review. Don't worry about Izumi though- she's one tough lady as you know, and she'll be back. Just don't be surprised that when she does, she's more than a little pissed off.

T-chan- I do like Kyo and Tohru and it's obvious that Kyo does have some feelings for Tohru. So I thought it would be appropriate for Kyo to think about her from time to time. As for your comments on how I treated Yuki, I don't know about you, but most people don't think highly of someone that calls them "idiot" a lot. Yeah, both Kyo and Yuki have major issues, but this is Kyo's story, not Yuki's, so I can paint Yuki in the way Kyo would have depicted him. If you want to see a more partial view of Yuki, read my story "The Cat's Revenge" that is taken mostly from Tohru's POV. For more on this, see AvatarNyaNya's review response in Chapter Ten. Also, thanks for liking the extras so much!

SeaLover 456- I may be wrong on this, but the Gate seems to me to be the barrier between Ed's world and the world beyond- whatever that may be. The Gate itself might be a symbol of God's domain- in the manga, the Gate looks like it came from a Christian alchemy work. Anyone that tries to do what is forbidden for humans by God's standards, goes through the Gate and acquire a new type of power, but at a price. That's how I see it. In any case, I never actually said that Kyo went through the Gate- Kyo just assumed that he did. The start of Chapter Three was really condensed. You just have to wait to see what actually happened. Let's just say that even if he didn't went through the Gate, he went through something similar to it.

I'm thrilled that you love my story so much! And yes, that was Envy- I was wondering if anyone would realize him. I thought I left enough clues for everyone to guess his identity. You'll have to wait to see what the homunculus have in plan for Kyo, but you can safely bet it'll be just as hellish as their plan for the rest of the "good" characters in the manga.

Dragoness Triplets- I don't know exactly what your problem with the changing scenes is, but I follow the advice of the late children's author Lee Wyndham on scene transitions: "Lazy or inexperienced writers sometimes avoid the transition by the easy device of leaving three or four lines of blank space between paragraphs. _Don't!_ The abrupt change of thought or scene is bound to jolt the reader out of your story's life. As the reader "comes to" and notices the white space and maybe looks at the clock, he or she may also say, "Here's a good place to put the book (or story) down." For keeps! And no author wants to put such a notion into the reader's head. On the contrary, you want your readers to feel they can't possibly put your story down- not until they have finished it and know how it all came out." (Wyndham, Lee. Writing for Children and Teenagers. 3rd edition. Revision by Arnold Madison. Writer's Digest Books, 1988, pgs. 107-8. Italic hers). I know that you may not share her opinion, but I do find the blank spaces distracting myself, so I don't use them. Instead I use transition words and phrases like "meanwhile," "in the meantime," "an hour later," "the next day," and so on. Please read my sentences more carefully the next time.

As for Kyo freaking over when Izumi vomited blood, what would you have done if you saw that? Freaking out seemed to be the logical reaction for most sane humans. I try not to make the characters any more than they actually are- Kyo is human after all. And yes, Kyo can get freaked out- remember when Tohru fell down at the end of Volume 5 of the manga? He looked freaked out to me. When Izumi vomited blood the next time, Kyo wasn't freaked out at all. In fact, he just left her there.

Speaking of Barry the Chopper, he's likely done away with in the manga, but I couldn't resist "reviving" him for my story. You'll see what I mean, but he's going to play an important part later on. I don't know whether you don't like Barry at all or just the anime version but I hope that you'll understand why I picked him for a crucial part later on.

Sk8er7- The author notes were almost as long as the chapter- I count four pages for the story and three pages for the first part of the author's notes in Chapter Eleven. Actually, I would have preferred to have an entire page for my author's notes, but wouldn't allow it. As for review responses, you got me. I only had one warning in my entire five years here, but as far as review responses go, as long as it's part of the chapter, I don't see why they should be banned. After all, there'll always be a few reviewers that can't be traced and review responses in the story are the only way you can respond to their comments, if they're still reading, that is.

Muse Lord Mai-chan- Wow! Thank you for liking my story so much! I hope I'll keep you entertained the rest of the way too!

Belletiger- If you really like Haru, then you should wait until the side story in Chapter Sixteen- I'm planning to add a Haru extra in it!

ChaosTears- Yes, I love doing the extras too. They have given me the opportunity to include Fruits Basket characters that will never have a decent shot in my story. If you got an idea, please tell me. Of course, I don't have to accept it, but it's gratifying when people gives me ideas- it tells me that they are really interested in the story.

Retasuika- Please to meet you, Retasuika! I'm happy that you put my story in your Story Alert. I'm just sorry that I can't reply much to the rest of your review, since I live in Canada and the Fullmetal Alchemist anime has only begun airing in March. Wait another year and I may be able to respond more.

Wildfire Dreams- If you want to read more manga-based fics, you can try momiji-k's fics. But thanks for reviewing again!

In addition to all these people, I like to thank the following: Kaioma, Muse Lord Mai-chan, AngelHinata, Alenia Shadows and AvatarShinzo. Please review again!

I like to also thank

Next Chapter: The Spawns of Hell


	14. Spawns of Hell

**Chapter Fourteen of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

I know that most of you were wondering where I've been. If you got me on Author Alert, then you know that I've been writing other stories, just not this one. While I know that so many were waiting for this one, I was taken aback by all the criticism (both good and bad) and I wanted to see whether I was still "in" it or not in my story. Since I'm now including manga-only characters, I have to be very careful, as I know that some of you may only be acquainted with them superficially. If you see a mistake of any kind, please tell me. Just to let you know that I may change a few things, so it may not matter anyway, but still let me know of any discrepancy.

I also know that a number of you have been waiting for the big chapter, and I do guarantee you that in a few more chapters, Ed and Al will make their debut. Yes, I know that I put them off until now, but I simply didn't have the chance to put them in the story. As well, of all the FMA characters, they would be the ones that I would need to focus most of my attention on. I just want all of you to know that.

As well, if there's anyone that can tell me the summaries of the recent chapters (from 60 onward), please let me know. I want to keep track of everything so far, so if you can help me, please tell me.

In case you didn't know, Fruits Basket had finally finished its run at 136 chapters recently. No, I'm not going to tell you how it ends. As well, Fruits Basket has reached two million units alone in the U.S. With being the first manga-ka of any kind to be interviewed by TIME, Natsuki Takaya sure had a good year. I wish to thank her and hope that her next serial will be a success and just as well-loved as Fruits Basket.

If you're a Canadian Inu-Yasha fan, please let me know. I'm hoping to do an essay about Inu-Yasha's popularity in Canada and would like some input. Just leave your e-mail with me or review with your login name. And if you know someone that's a Canadian Inu-Yasha fan, let me know too. You can either provide their e-mail address to me or refer me to their account that has their e-mail on it.

I also would like to inform my readers that I have a blog in TOKYOPOP. You can read about my semi-boring life by going to the webpage link on my profile.

Now that is over with, let this chapter begin!

Kyo of course didn't know what was going on until he felt something touch his back.

"Ayame, get out of my bed now or I'll-" Kyo then rolled from his side and found himself eye-to-eye with a feline.

"MEW!" the cat said. That made Kyo get up and look around.

'Dammit! I'm still in this place!' Kyo thought. 'I was hoping that it was just a bad dream!' All of a sudden he heard someone shouting from below.

"I knew it! It's the Cat Man!" a boy shouted. Kyo looked down to see a big crowd watching him. A bunch of cats also surrounded the place.

'Damn! I got a bigger crowd than last time!' Kyo thought. 'How am I suppose to get out this time?'

"Well, why don't you know," a man yelled. "That guy does have orange hair!"

"He's the Cat Alchemist!" another boy yelled.

'They know who I am!' Kyo thought. 'I got to get out of here, but there's so many people down there!'

Kyo looked everywhere. He could see that he was surrounded on all sides of the building. Most came out of curiosity, he figured, but he still couldn't see anywhere to land on and make a clean getaway. Whether the crowd realize it or not, they had him trapped on the roof.

Kyo then looked at all the nearby buildings. There were no skyscrapers- certainly no buildings as tall as the ones in Tokyo. This was actually a good thing, as Kyo could get on them easier.

He then heard a loud voice.

"THIS IS COLONEL DOUGLAS! ARE YOU REALLY THE CAT ALCHEMIST?" the voice came from behind him, so Kyo had to back and looked down. He then saw a man with glasses shouting at him. The man was wearing the standard blue uniform that it seemed that most of the military wears here. He had enough of them.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Kyo shouted back.

"I AM COLONEL DOUGLAS OF THE AMESTRIAN ARMY!" the man replied. "NOW ARE YOU GOING TO ANSWER MY QUESTION?"

"I AM KYO SOHMA!" the orange-head yelled. "I'M NO ALCHEMIST!"

"JUST SURRENDER PEACEFULLY AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS LATER!" Colonel Douglas shouted.

"NO!" Kyo said. "WHY SHOULD I?"

"DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?" Colonel Douglas yelled. "THIS IS THE ARMY SPEAKING!"

'I know that' Kyo thought, annoyed. He then looked at a brick building close to him. An idea came into his mind.

'I only know how to make this rod into a spear, so if I can-' Kyo started to think. He then clapped his hands against the rod. A yellow light came out of it.

"What is he-" Colonel Douglas started to say when he saw the rod turned into a long spear.

"Doing?" a shorter man with glasses finished his question.

Kyo then started running across the roof.

"What is he trying to do?" a bigger man with brown hair asked.

Kyo then leaped into the air and planted the spear into the plaster of the building wall. He then yanked the thing from the wall, flipped in the air, clapped his hands against the spear again, and used the newly transmutated pole to land on the ground. Kyo then ran like his shoes were on fire.

"What an elegant technique!" a moustached man said.

"May I ask all of you a question?" Colonel Douglas asked. He then turned to the three men. "How come Colonel Mustang sent you three here but not himself?"

"That would be Plan B, sir," Fury said. "Plan A is us."

"Then why don't you do your plan right now?" Colonel Douglas asked, pointing at the direction Kyo ran off.

"We were about to do that, Colonel," Armstrong said. He then turned to Fury and Breda. "Here." He then handed them a few pieces of paper. "This is my elegant portraiture skills that have been handed down from generation to generation in the Armstrong family-"

"Um yeah, but we only saw him right now," Fury said.

"You forgot that he's already been seen in several occasions. I got my sketch from one of the reports," Armstrong said. Fury looked down at the sketch again. It did look like a lot like the orange-head with the scowl to match.

"Colonel Douglas, did you seal off the entire area like I requested?" Armstrong asked.

"You think I'll let him get away?" Colonel Douglas replied. "Don't worry about that. Just go and get him!"

"Yes sir!" all of the subordinate officers said. Armstrong then turned to Fury and Breda again.

"You two will go out together," Armstrong said. "I shall go out on my own."

"But isn't that dangerous?" Fury asked.

"His skill in alchemy is amateur at best," Armstrong said. "In any case, we wasted enough time! Let us find him now!"

"Yes sir!" Fury and Breda said. The search for Kyo by the military has now turned up a notch.

Kyo, in the meantime, was trying to lay low.

'I should've stayed with that Scar guy after all,' Kyo thought. 'He could've at least show me how to get out of here!' Kyo then saw a couple of military officers walking and went out of view. All of a sudden a car came by. A man dressed in a similar uniform came out and talked to them. They then went inside the car and drove off.

'They're gone, thank god!' Kyo thought. 'Now maybe I can get out of here!' He then went out of the alley. By the sun, Kyo could tell he was going west.

'If only I can find that Scar guy again, maybe I can finally get out of here!' Kyo thought. He couldn't find anyone on the street.

'Did something happen?' Kyo thought. He couldn't see any fire or riot or anything else that would require an evacuation. Maybe that Scar guy was discovered after all.

Kyo was about to go up north when a big shadow came over him. He looked back to see a big muscular man dressed in a military uniform looking down at him.

"You're the Cat Alchemist, aren't you?" the man asked. "You matched his descriptions exactly."

"Who are you?" Kyo asked suspiciously.

"You don't know the Armstrong family?" the man asked.

"No," Kyo replied. "I just got here."

"Then I'll give you a treat," the man said. "Here's a sight for your eyes. Behold, a member of the fine Armstrong specimens. Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist!" At that, he ripped open his uniform, revealing his marvelous physique. Kyo just stood there speechless.

"What sort of freak are YOU?" Kyo asked.

"You should be honoured, my boy," Armstrong said. "However, as much as I would love to show you all of the famous Armstrong posturing techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation, I have work to do." He then put on a golden glove. "I shall present you with this!" He then threw a piece of wood up in the air. "Lo and behold, the elegant Armstrong alchemical technique that have been handed down from generation to generation!" Kyo watched in amazement as he punched the block of wood and turned it into a big metal spear. Kyo had to jump sideways to avoid it. It landed on the street, blowing a part of it up.

'What?!' Kyo thought.

"As you can see, my magnificent technique is perfect," Armstrong said. "Now be a good boy and come with me. I guarantee that you'll not be harmed as long as you're with me."

"What do you want with me?" Kyo yelled. Armstrong closed his eyes. "Huh?"

"You poor boy!" Armstrong said. He then gave him a big bear hug. Kyo screamed.

"Travelling across this country, with no one that knows you or any place that you know!" Armstrong said. Waterfall tears came down his face. "Oh you poor thing!"

"No wait-!" Kyo started to say when Armstrong hugged him again. Kyo felt great pressure against his rib cage, but he still felt no pain.

"What are you-!" Kyo said. He then pushed himself away, falling on the ground. He then pointed at Armstrong with a shaky finger. "You- You resemble someone I know! Do you know someone named Kagura?"

"I don't know any Kagura," Armstrong said. "I'm a member of the great Armstrong family as you can see!" He then started posturing.

"Okay…" Kyo said. 'I got to get rid of him. I have an idea!' Kyo thought. He then ripped a page from the book after he took it out of the pouch. "Take this!"

"Is it from the book?" Armstrong said. Kyo then flashed the page in front of his eyes. The man's eyes lit up.

"Magnificent!" Armstrong said. "I've never seen such a wonderful piece of alchemy work! Full of life! Full of power! If this is the work of Nicolas Flamel, then I shall get this to the Colonel and…hmm?" Armstrong then saw Kyo trying to run off. "I see you were trying to distract me! That may work for some amateur alchemists but not me!" At that, Armstrong grabbed a piece of rusted pipe and hit it with his alchemical glove. It turned into a long steel arrow.

"Damn!" Kyo yelled as he tried to dodge it. The arrow swerved into the left, hitting the ground. This caused Kyo to lose his balance and fall.

Just then, Kyo heard a few more footsteps.

"Major!" Kyo then saw two men running to Armstrong. One, a brown-haired, big-chinned guy looked up at him.

"Major! The Colonel said to get him, not destroy the street!" he continued.

"I'm aware of that, Lieutenant," Armstrong said. The short, black-haired guy now spoke up.

"Sir, is that the Cat Alchemist?" he asked, looking right at Kyo.

"Yes Sergeant," Armstrong replied. "But be careful. He's quick."

"He does have orange hair," the Lieutenant said. "I wonder how he does that."

"It's real, dammit!" Kyo shouted. He was getting sick of this. "Just who the hell are you all anyway?" The Major raised his hands slightly.

"Now calm down" Armstrong said. "We're offering you an opportunity to surrender peacefully. This may not occur again. So will you do it?"

"NO!!!" Kyo shouted. The Lieutenant turned to Armstrong.

"Can I shoot him now?" he asked.

"Not yet," Armstrong said.

"I already gave you a page," Kyo said. "Do you want another one?"

"Could you give us one that mentions the Philosopher's Stone in it?" Armstrong asked.

"Why is everyone so interested in it?" Kyo asked. "It seems that a lot of alchemists here can do a lot of things already."

"It's not for the military," Armstrong said. "This is for a friend of mine." Kyo was about to ask him what he meant when a car stopped behind the three military officers.

"We got him now!" Colonel Douglas yelled. He then got out of the car. "What are you waiting for? Get him!"

"I'm giving you a last warning," Armstrong told Kyo. "If you don't surrender right now, we might-"

"What? Shoot me?" Kyo said. He then smirked and pointed to himself. "Go ahead! Shoot me! Maybe I'll die and get reincarnated out of this stupid world of yours! Or I can haunt you for the rest of your lives!" At that, Kyo laughed.

"Has he gone insane?" Fury asked, concerned.

"Just shoot him!" Colonel Douglas ordered.

"Remember what Colonel Mustang said," Armstrong told Breda, who was aiming right at Kyo.

"Yeah, yeah, don't kill him," Breda said. He then let out a shot. It missed, even though Kyo was just a few feet away from him. "What the?"

'He actually tried to shoot me- and missed!' Kyo thought. He could try to run away, but he could run into more of them.

Just then, dozens of cats suddenly appeared. It took a while to find the Two-Legged One, but once they did, they sent out a few to get the other cats to this area. Within a few minutes, over a hundred cats came.

An idea then came inside Kyo's head.

'If it worked in Rush Valley…' Kyo thought. He then put his arm down.

"NOW!" Kyo shouted. All of a sudden over a hundred cats stormed the place. And of course being cats, they first went to the cat hater.

"HELP!" Breda shouted. He tried to run away (this guy is a soldier?) but the cats quickly jumped up at him and forced him downward, who was screaming as they did.

"Second Lieutenant Breda!" Fury said. He then tried to help his comrade, but a bunch of kitties blocked his path.

"It's all right," Armstrong said. "These are tame animals. As long as we don't try to hurt them, we'll be alright-" Just then, he took a step forward. All of a sudden all of the cats arched their backs. "- or not." Fury tried to take a step forward but a few cats hissed at him.

"We're surrounded by cats!" Fury said. He then saw more cats coming. "And they keep on coming!"

"GET AWAY FROM YOU-YOU-YOU MONSTERS!" Breda shouted. He then started to hit the cats with his gun.

"NO!! DON'T HURT THEM! THEY'RE INNOCENT!" Armstrong yelled. A cat then jumped onto his massive arm. He then looked at the cat. "Let go of my perfect body, little kitty." The cat promptly went off. Breda, however, wasn't convinced on Armstrong's soft approach.

"Do you think these monsters are innocent?" Breda asked. One of the cats then bit his hand, which made him release his gun. All of the cats then jumped on him.

As for Colonel Douglas, he was struggling to get back into the car.

"Get us out of here!" he ordered the driver. The cats, however, was blocking their way.

The horn was then blown. The sound of it made some cats back off, but angered a few even more. The men in the car had to use their guns to swat the cats away. Colonel Douglas looked perplexed, not knowing what else to do. Military training didn't exactly cover what to do when hundreds of maniacal cats surround your vehicle.

In all of the mayhem, nobody noticed that a certain orange-head had vanished, having been long gone by then.

"I don't want to ask, but what happened to you two?" Roy asked as Fury and Armstrong entered the room, looking all scratched up. Hawkeye, as usual, was helping him with the paperwork. Her dog, Black Hayate, was at her feet next to Roy's desk.

"We almost got him, sir," Fury replied. "But at least we now know that he does control cats." That got Roy to frown.

"Where is Second Lieutenant Breda?" he inquired. "He did went with you two, didn't he?"

"He did, sir, but now he's gone-" Fury said. At that, Roy put his left hand on his face.

"I didn't mean to put all of you in danger" Roy said. "Can you give me a full report on his demise?"

"His demise? He's not dead yet, sir" Fury said.

"Why didn't you say that in the beginning?" Roy said with an anger mark on his head.

"I tried, but you cut me off!" Fury said. He then paused. "Sir." Roy just sighed. Falman then entered the room.

"I heard that the team came back," Falman said. "How did everyone- never mind." The Warrant Officer then saw the scratched up Fury and Armstrong.

"Falman, get Second Lieutenant Breda here. If he can walk, I don't care what the doctor says," Roy ordered.

"Yes sir!" Falman said. He then left. Roy looked at Hawkeye.

"It's time for Plan B" Roy said. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, get the file for the Cat Alchemist out and follow us to the far room at the right." He then looked at Fury and Armstrong. "Come with us. I'll leave a note for Falman and Breda to come to the room too."

"But what is Plan B sir?" Fury asked.

"You'll see," Roy said with a smile.

End of Chapter Fourteen

There were times when I thought I'd never finish this, but I did! In any case, I hope that you liked this new chapter. If you see any room for improvement or any mistakes or any suggestions, please tell me! I'm not a perfect stylist, but I do want to do my best. Armstrong, Fury and Breda had failed to capture Kyo. Will Roy and Hawkeye be able to capture him? Or will Plan B be a failure as well. What is Plan B anyway? Fruits Basket (1999-2006) was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Don't forget to review!

Next Chapter: Letting Out The Dogs


	15. Bringing Out the Dogs

**Chapter Fifteen of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan**

"Let's begin this" Roy said as he and his men (well, mostly men) came inside the room. It looked like a war room with maps, charts and long rolls of paper covering the walls and tables. On the other side of the wall, a map of Amestris could be seen.

"Everyone, sit down!" Roy ordered. All at once, everyone- First Lieutenant Hawkeye and Master Sergeant Fury at his right, and Major Armstrong, Second Lieutenant Breda and Warrant Officer Falman at his left, did just so.

"Major, give us the report so far," Roy commanded.

"At 10:08 we responded to a call about the orange-haired 'Cat Man' in Fairview Street atop of the flower shop and meat market," Armstrong said. "As you planned, we sealed off the area and then ordered all officers to aim for his legs if he escapes. But we didn't expect him to be with animals."

"Animals?! They were like the walking dead!" Breda said. "I swear that he turned them into zombies! They turned into man-eating cats before our eyes! I still don't know how we managed to escape!"

"What Second Lieutenant Breda is trying to say" Fury said. "is that after we confronted the Cat Alchemist, we tried to shoot his lower regions, but all of them missed our target."

"I already know that" Roy said. "What happened next?"

"It was then that the cats started attacking us" Fury said. "If the Major wasn't there, I don't know how we could have handled it." He then looked seriously at the colonel. "Though I must say that I would rather take out my gun and shoot myself in the head than to go through that again."

"I can arrange a quicker way," Roy said, putting his right hand into his pocket.

"Wait! I retract my statement!" Fury said. "I don't want to die yet!" Roy then withdrew his hand.

"Anyway, we have more important things to discuss," Roy said. "It's obvious that Plan A was a failure. Our next plan, Plan B, will begin."

"And what is Plan B?" Fury questioned. "Major Armstrong never told us about it."

"Oh yes, Plan B, well, First Lieutenant Hawkeye and me will go out and-" Roy started to say when a dark-haired creature popped out of Hawkeye's shirt. It then barked.

"Black Hayate!" Fury said. "Hello there!" He then got up and petted him. "I see that Hawkeye is planning to use you in our little mission." He then turned to Hawkeye. "But are you sure that you want to do this to him?"

"It's the Colonel's idea, not mine," Hawkeye said. She then looked at him. "And he better know what he's doing too!"

"Of course I do!" Roy said. He then smiled. "We're going to use him to catch the Cat Alchemist!" Fury then looked at the dog more closely.

"He's wearing an uniform…with the rank of Major!" Fury said.

"Major?" Hawkeye said. She then looked at him too. "Sir, what's the meaning of this? He has a rank higher than mine!"

"Don't look at me!" Roy said. "I only requested that an uniform for a dog would be made! I didn't ask that a rank be put on it! It's not an official uniform anyway!" Fury had tears streaming down his face.

"Anyway, we need a real dog for this," Roy continued. "In the previous conflicts with the military, the Cat Alchemist used cats to assault military officers. If we used a real dog, those cats may not be able to be as close to us as before."

"But there's only one dog!" Breda shouted. "What the hell are you going to do with only one dog?" Roy then glanced down.

"Better than you would do," Roy said. "At the very least he wouldn't be under the table, right, Second Lieutenant Breda?" Roy then looked under the table, where a trembling Breda sat.

"Just tell us the goddamn plan!" Breda shouted.

"I'm doing that" Roy grumbled. He then went back to the table. "Let's continue. As I said before, First Lieutenant Hawkeye and I will join you four and search for the Cat Alchemist. I'll put Warrant Officer Falman on standby." He then looked under the table. "That means you too, Second Lieutenant Breda."

"Just as long as I don't have to deal with those cats!" Breda said. "They were monsters!"

"Maybe you should assign Second Lieutenant Breda to be on standby too," Falman suggested.

"Fine then" Roy said. "Warrant Officer Falman will be on standby, along with Second Lieutenant Breda."

"So they'll jump in if we need them?" Fury asked.

"That's right," Roy said.

"The Cat Alchemist was pretty fast," Armstrong said. "I could've done my family art of tracking except for the cats."

"We could've got him, except the Major here didn't want us to hurt the cats!" Breda said.

"I'll not allow you to hurt those innocent creatures!" Armstrong said. "You know well that they were just controlled by him!"

"Then why did they went after ME?" Breda asked.

"If you stayed put, then they would not have attacked you," Armstrong said. "They are animals after all." Breda responded by cursing.

"Anyway, we do know one thing from what happened," Roy said. "His understanding of alchemy is basic at the least. He's using alchemy the way a five-year old would."

"Well, at least we shouldn't expect any big explosions then right?" Fury asked.

"We can't be certain that he hasn't been learning on the go," Roy said. "He's been in various places in the past two weeks, mostly in the east. He could've learned more from that book while he was travelling. There is also a possibility that someone could've taught him a few more things before he became a high alert."

"Is that for the entire country, sir?" Fury asked.

"I requested it to be" Roy replied. "We can't forget the possibility that he could flee again."

"But what could you do that we haven't tried?" Breda asked, still under the table. "I mean, we've tried everything and either our shots missed or something puts our bullets off course."

"I'll have Lieutenant Hawkeye with me," Roy said. "If anyone can get someone with a rifle, it's her."

"I don't mind doing it sir, but if he does have an invisible shield, a straight-on hit would be impossible, whether from a gun or alchemy," Hawkeye said. Roy put his hands together.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "You see, I already have a Plan C."

"What's Plan C?" Fury asked.

"We released our ultimate weapon on him," Roy replied, with an evil grin on his face.

"Ultimate weapon?" Fury asked.

"Yes," Roy replied. "It's been only used on a small scale before, but its potential power is enormous. Once it's fully released, almost nothing can stop it and it just has a small fuse. And to think that I have it under my command! Ha ha ha!"

A few seconds then passed by.

"You know, sir, I don't think he would liked to be called that," Hawkeye said.

"You don't suppose there's a way to make the Cat Alchemist say something about his height?" Roy asked.

"I think he would rather assume that we just sent a kid after him," Hawkeye said.

"Wait a minute! You mean you're going to send the Fullmetal Alchemist after him?" Fury sounded shocked.

"The Fullmetal Kid is here?" Breda asked. Roy then looked at Armstrong.

"According to your report, the Cat Alchemist was seen atop of a small building on Fairview Street and used a simple transmutation to get off the roof and onto the ground and then ran off," Roy said. "You also split up the team to find him."

"Yes I did" Armstrong said. "But I found and fought the Cat Alchemist with the traditional alchemical technique that have been handed down in my family from generation to generation-"

"Yes, yes, but even with that, you only got a single page from the book" Roy said.

"I'm sorry," Armstrong said. "But that was all he gave me."

"It doesn't matter," Roy said with a malicious grin. "When we get him, we can take the book from him." He then stood up. "Let's get going. He could be trying to get out of Central as far as we know, so we have to find him quickly!"

"Roger!" the others said. Hawkeye then took Black Hayate into her arms as she left the table. Armstrong and Fury followed out of the room. Falman was about to do the same when he remembered something.

"Second Lieutenant Breda, Black Hayate's gone!" Falman said. At that, Breda went out from under the table.

"THANK GOD!" Breda said out loud. "I've had enough of those flea-bitten things!"

"I don't think it's nice to call animals things," Falman said.

"Well, I still don't think it's a good idea," Breda said. "Animals are unpredictable. They can bite and chew you out in an instant."

"The Colonel can do that too, you know" Falman said.

"You got a point," Breda grumbled. "I just hope that he knows what he's doing."

"Don't worry about that. I mean what could go wrong?" Falman said. He then left the room.

"Now I'm really worried," Breda said. He then followed him out of the room.

"Major Alex Louis Armstrong!" Roy said.

"Here sir!"

"First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye!" Roy said. She bowed slightly in response.

"Master Sergeant Kain Fury!" Roy said.

"Ah yes sir!"

"You three will come with me! Is that understood?" Roy said, putting on his "game" face so to speak. They all nodded. Roy then looked at Breda and Falman.

"Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda!" Roy said.

"Yo."

"Warrant Officer Vato Falman!" Roy said.

"Yes sir!"

"You two will stay here in case we need backup!" Roy said.

"Yes sir!" Breda and Falman said at once.

"Is there any questions?" Roy asked, looking at each subordinate with a piercing glare.

"Just one. Do you really think this is going to work?" Breda asked.

"Can you think of a better way to capture him?" Roy asked, looking at him straight into his eyes.

"I suppose not" Breda grunted. Roy then looked back at his team.

"We'll go ASAP," Roy said. "Is there any other questions?"

"Oh!" Fury said. "How are we going to find him?"

"Look for an orange-haired guy on a roof" Roy replied.

"I see" Fury said. Hawkeye then put down the black and white dog. Roy took out a piece of old paper and put it at the dog's nose.

"Smell this," Roy commanded. Black Hayate walked to the paper and looked at it. The dog then looked confused.

"BLACK HAYATE!" Hawkeye then shouted. The dog immediately turned around and faced his mistress.

"ARF!" Black Hayate said, putting his body in the "Sit" position and his ears and tail straight into the air.

"Black Hayate doggy, put your nose on that thing the Colonel has, and lead us to whoever has the same scent!" Hawkeye commanded.

"ARF!" Black Hayate said. The dog now then went to Roy again, and sniffed all over the manuscript. He then went back to his mistress and barked again.

"Excellent work, Black Hayate doggy!" Hawkeye said. "Now we have to wait for further orders."

"Yes" Roy said, looking a bit stunned. "Well then, now that we have everything we need, we'll go and find that Cat Alchemist! Breda, Falman, if we don't come back in an hour, you try to find us and help us out. But only after an hour has passed. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" Falman said. Both he and Breda made an affirmative salute.

"Good. Now let's go!" Roy said. He, Hawkeye, Fury, Armstrong and Black Hayate then went off.

"You don't think they'll get him?" Falman asked after they left.

"If the Colonel is there, I think there might be a chance," Breda said. "But if that mutt goes loose, I wouldn't want to be the one that has to catch it."

Like a cat, Kyo found himself reclining on a roof.

'Finally, some peace and quiet,' Kyo thought. 'They probably think that I left the area.' He then started thinking. 'So far I met an alchemist who can turn things into glass, an alchemist who can turned people into gold, an alchemist who can put people's spirits into things, an alchemist who can turn things into bits of metal, an alchemist who can blow people apart from the inside, and two super-strong alchemists! What other alchemists do I have to face?' Kyo then got up and took the book from the pouch. He then opened it.

'I know that I can do a little alchemy,' Kyo thought. 'I know how to summon flames and wind, and transmutate my rod.' He then flipped a page. "But how can I defend myself against them? Most of them don't rely on hand-to-hand combat and I-' all of a sudden Kyo looked back.

FWOOSH!

POOF!

"Did I get him?" Roy asked, looking upward. He had his gloved hand above his eyes as he looked at the roof. Everybody else was doing the same.

"I don't see anyone sir" Hawkeye replied.

"He could've jumped off before you hit him," Fury suggested. "He's pretty quick."

"Then let's go and see if he's at the back!" Roy said. They then went to the back of the building. Because of its location, it took a few minutes to get there.

"No sign of anyone, sir," Hawkeye said. Roy then looked down at the ground.

"All the footsteps here are ours," he said. "This isn't making any sense."

"You don't suppose you actually vaporized him?" Fury suggested. Roy tried not to smile.

"I'm not THAT good," Roy said, now looking at his glove. He then looked up again. "But I don't smell any burnt clothing or skin either. I thought that I hit him, but now I'm not sure."

"I definitely saw you do it, Colonel," Armstrong said. "The boy wouldn't be able to escape that quickly." Hawkeye then saw her dog sniffing the garbage bin.

"Sir, he could be in there," Hawkeye said, pointing to it.

"We need someone to open it up and look inside then," Roy said. Everyone, including the dog, looked at the lowest ranked officer.

"Do I have to do it?" Fury asked. Nobody said a word in his defense. "I guess I have no choice." The sergeant went to the trash bin and opened it up. Much to his relief, he didn't see anything in it.

"He's not in here, sir!" Fury said.

"You don't suppose that he went off again?" Hawkeye suggested. Roy put his hand on his face, wondering what to do next.

"If he's gone, then we should try to see where he may went to," Fury told him.

"We'll split into two," Roy told everyone. "Major Armstrong, Sergeant Fury, you go in one direction, while Lieutenant Hawkeye and I-" Black Hayate then barked. "I mean, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Black Hayate and I will go in the other."

"We can go east and you can go west" Armstrong suggested. "He's pretty quick, so we may need more people."

"Second Lieutenant Breda and Warrant Officer Falman are at Central HQ, so we can get them if necessary," Roy said. "Now let's go! I can't wait to get this over with, so I can search for Scar again! And I want that book!" At that, every blue-uniformed person, including the dog, went off in their respective directions.

After they did, an orange cat appeared from behind the trash bin.

"I thought they'll never leave!" Cat Kyo said. He then went back behind the trash bin and nudged the book out.

"I wasn't scared of the dog as I was of the woman!" Cat Kyo said. "If she grabbed me, I wouldn't know what I'll do!" He then looked at the book. "I am just glad that they didn't get the book!" He then thought for a second. "I thought the Flame Guy was supposed to be a colonel, but that guy looks too young to me. Maybe if I can-" POOF! "-know how to do water alchemy, I can find a way to beat him." The now naked Kyo looked at the back of the trash bin. "Damn! My clothes are still there and I'm too big to squeeze myself in it!" All Kyo could do was wait for a cat to appear, which shouldn't take that long...

In the meantime, Roy and Hawkeye were still walking with Black Hayate.

"I don't think Black Hayate doggy has picked up his scent yet," Hawkeye said.

"He couldn't have disappeared that easily," Roy said. "Between him and Scar, I don't know which one has given me the most headache." Just then, Black Hayate's ears perked up.

"What is it?" Hawkeye asked. All of a sudden, the dog barked and then ran off. Hawkeye was so surprised that she twisted her right ankle and fell to the ground. Black Hayate continued running, with the leash following him.

"BLACK HAYATE, SIT!" Hawkeye yelled. The dog simply barked and continued running.

"Lieutenant, are you okay?" Roy asked, trying to help her up.

"Don't help me up, get my dog!" Hawkeye said.

"I know he might have found him, but your safety is more-" Roy started to say.

"Sir, I'm fine," Hawkeye said with gritted teeth. "I mean I can get help on my own. However, capturing our suspect should be of utmost importance, Colonel." Roy took a good look at her. He could tell she couldn't support her right foot, but she doesn't appear to be in great pain.

"Very well," Roy said. "But let me take you off the street. If I find any military personnel, I'll tell them where you are."

"Understood, sir" Hawkeye said. He then gave her his coat so she wouldn't have to sit on the ground, and then took off. Roy now had an uncontrollable urge to find Black Hayate and arrest the orange-head. While Hawkeye's injury was minor, it was still afflicted within his midst. The memories of Hughes' death and Havoc's spinal injury still haunting him, he already made up his mind not to let anyone else under his command get hurt or killed if he could help it. Not to mention that if Hawkeye got seriously hurt, he would be breaking a promise he made to the person that he owes so much and that he could never repay except for keeping that promise.

No, he'll die first before he let anything happen to her.

As for Kyo, thanks to the cats that came to his aid, he was able to retrieve all of his clothes from behind the trash bin. It took him a few minutes for him to put everything back on.

'If only I could put on my clothes that easy' Kyo thought. He then shooed all the cats away, and started his trek across the city again.

'This city is very quiet now,' Kyo thought. 'I bet they blocked the entire area off again. This book must really be important.' He then decided to sit down and think.

'If only I knew where that Scar guy lives, I could find him and talk to him again. He seemed to be only interested in killing only the military so maybe if he can show me how to get out of here-' Kyo thought when he heard something that sounded like panting. Kyo looked down, and to his horror, realized that it was the woman's dog!

"ARF!" the dog barked. Kyo looked around to see if anyone else was there- there wasn't.

"You-" Kyo started to say when he then clamped onto the dog's mutt. However, he squirmed from underneath and got loose.

"ARF!!! ARF!!! ARF!!! ARF!!!" the dog barked even louder. This alarmed Kyo even more.

'Oh dammit!' Kyo thought. 'He's trying to alert the humans!' He had to act quickly or the finger-snapping flame guy or the woman might return, and he didn't want either to see him now.

"Just shut up!" Kyo said. He then picked him up and without thinking, tried to put the yapping dog into his pouch.

Of course, Roy heard Black Hayate barking.

'That sounded like Hawkeye's dog,' Roy thought. He then ran to the source of the bark when he stopped. At a far distance, he could see the orange-head's back. He was doing something, but Roy couldn't see what he was doing.

Not that he cared anyway.

'This is my chance to exact revenge for humiliating me,' Roy thought. 'And once he's done away with and I get Scar too, I'll surely get promoted!' With an evil grin, he then snapped his fingers.

Several things happened within a few seconds.

First, Kyo heard the whoosh of the fire, which caused him to look back.

Second, Kyo widened his eyes and opened his mouth as if he was about to scream.

Third, Kyo threw up the pouch and started running.

Fourth, Black Hayate popped out of the pouch- right in the path of the flame.

Fifth, Roy realized what happened and started to run toward him.

Sixth, the flame hit the pouch, Black Hayate and Kyo, causing Kyo to transform into a cat and Black Hayate into a running, smoking and howling piece of soot and ash.

Seventh, Roy now very alarmed, ran after the dog and started calling his name.

Thus…

WHOOSH!

POOF!

"AROOOOOOOOO….!!!!!"

"BLACK HAYATE!!!"

When Cat-Kyo opened his eyes, he saw the finger-snapping flame guy running after the smoldering dog.

'I didn't get my fur singed' Cat-Kyo thought, looking all over his feline body. He then looked at his clothes. Except for a wrinkle or two, his clothes remained none the worse for wear.

'I don't get it,' Cat-Kyo thought. 'I was burned twice and my clothes or me haven't got singed. Am I really immortal?' He then looked at his bag. "Oh no! My bag!" He then looked inside it. "My book appears fine." Just then, he heard a loud scream.

'Must be that guy,' Cat-Kyo thought. 'He deserved it. I can't believe he tried to broil me like a yakitori!' He then decided to wait until he transformed and see if he could find Scar or at least the panda girl.

In another block not far away, Fury and Armstrong were still walking. Fury looked exhausted, while Armstrong looked a bit worried.

"I give up," Fury said. "I'm tired, my feet's tired and my whole body's tired. I want to go home!"

"Stop complaining," Armstrong told him. He then looked around. "It does seem, though, the Cat Alchemist did give us the slip."

"Then why don't we go back to Central HQ and get Falman and Breda?" Fury suggested. He then looked at the major. "We can do that, right?"

"Very well," Armstrong said. He then pumped up his muscles. "Let us go!"

'Right…' Fury thought with a sweatdrop running down his face. They then head off to the military base.

When they did, they were in for a shock.

"BLACK HAYATE!!" Fury screamed. He then ran at the dog. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

Black Hayate was indeed black all over now- from the tips of his ears down to the patches on his feet were totally black. Both Fury and Armstrong stood there in shock.

"What horrible, evil creature did this to you?" Fury said, tears running down his face.

"It's dreadful to even look!" Armstrong said, turning his head away, tears running down his face as well.


	16. Side Story 1

****

Chapter 15- Side-Story #1- of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

A side-story is a story that takes place during the main storyline but has nothing else to do with it. If you've read the Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist mangas, then you already know what I mean.

While I did intend to do a side-story almost from the beginning- I knew that this was going to be a long fic- but I was still struggling with what I should put in it when Chapter 10 was being written. I got three versions of it in my head, which all of them could be used even now. However, I need publicity for my Fullmetal Alchemist fic "The Omega Stone" and this seems to be a good place to put it.

This side-story actually takes place after my story "The Omega Stone" ends, which is still not finished, but I'll try to keep any spoilers to a minimum. This is really a condensed version of a longer sequel that I'm planning to make. If you want to get the gist of the story, here it is: Ed and Al is sent to a village to find a State Alchemist candidate, only to discover it's a 12-year old girl, who claims to have the knowledge of an ancient Ishbalan priestess inside her! The rest of the villagers don't like any presence of the military in their town, but you have to read it to find out why. Suffice to say, things will get more hectic as the story goes along.

As I've said before, this is just a condensed version of what happens after the story ends. I can't say if I intend it to go like this, but I think this would be a good preview, so to speak, of my story. I hope that some of you will read my story, as some things may make more sense if you do.

Since this is based from another story, there'll be no Kyo in it, so don't nag me about it. I like to extend my thanks to everyone that reviewed so far. Thanks to you all, "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" is my second most popular story that I've ever made so far (my Naruto fic is the most popular as far as hits go). I'll also provide review responses- I've had a lot of comments and/or questions, so do read them. As I said before, I'll not repeat answers that I already gave, so be sure to read Chapters Six and Ten before you ask anything.

Now that's done with, let this side-story begin!

Roy Mustang woke up and felt something cold was on his head. He mumbled something, but due to his dry lips, couldn't utter a sound.

Someone then came to his side.

"Sir! I'm so happy that you woke up!" the voice of a young girl caused him to turn his head to the side. A girl with long, dark hair and dark eyes looked down at him. Roy decided to get up.

"I'm sorry that you had to do this," Roy said. He then tried to sit up. "I'll go back to the base and get a-"

"No sir!" the girl said. "You have to lie down!"

"If anybody noticed that I've gone missing, they-" Roy started to say.

"Yes I know," the girl said. "But what are you going to wear if you do go out?" Roy was confused until he looked down at himself. He then stripped his blanket. Except for his underwear, he was completely nude!

"What-" Roy started to say when the girl put a new cloth on his head.

"You have a fever" the girl explained. "I had to put them in water and let them drip-dry."

"My uniform too?" Roy asked.

"Yes" the girl replied.

"All of my clothes?" Roy then asked.

"Yes," the girl answered. She then blushed. "Except for your underwear."

"When will I have them back?" Roy questioned.

"About an hour," the girl answered. All of a sudden Roy got chills. The girl immediately put on the blanket again. "You're still sick, sir! You should be more careful!"

"Sorry," Roy managed to utter. He then looked up at her again. He noticed her dark eyes and red lips. She did look familiar.

"Haven't we met before?" Roy asked. It was a pick-up line that he used with women before, but this time he was sincere.

"Oh you remember me!" the girl said. "I'm Sarah Somers." At that, Roy took a closer look at her. The fever made it hard for him to focus, but his mind was clear on one thing.

"You know who I am?" Roy asked.

"Of course sir!" Sarah replied. "You're Colonel Roy Mustang of the Amestrian Army. You're also a State Alchemist with the name Flame Alchemist. You were a noted hero during the Ishbalan War-"

"I know that!" Roy said. He then felt his stomach turn again and clenched the blanket.

"You must rest now, sir," Sarah said, putting her hand on the cool cloth. "I'll bring some more water for you. I know that you've been through a lot lately, but you don't have to carry it all by yourself." He didn't reply as he felt the illness ravaged his body and he blacked out again.

When Roy came back to consciousness, he heard another voice- a dangerously familiar one.

"The one called the Flame Alchemist has been missing for a few hours now" the voice said. "If he's not dead, I'll find him soon enough." Roy then realized who it was- it was Scar!

Roy knew that if Scar found out that he was here, not only would his life but Sarah's life be in danger too. In his condition, he could only cover his face and hope that he wouldn't have to throw up.

"Do you have to hunt down every State Alchemist?" Sarah asked. "Not all of them are bloodguilty of the war."

"The ones that became State Alchemists after the war may not have shed any physical blood, but they side with those that did. Even though they haven't killed yet, what prevents them from doing so in the future?" Scar's voice became more intense. "Do you know that they're still hunting us down in this country? We aren't free to even worship our God! They must be stopped, and if God has given me the power to do so, why should I not use it?" Scar asked. He sounded more annoyed than angry than her, as if they did this every day. Did Scar so highly respected her that he was willing to talk with her like an associate, or was it something else?

"If you really feel that way, then you better be careful that you don't fall into the same judgment," Sarah said. Roy didn't know how Scar responded, because the fever went up and he blacked out again.

"Do you want water, sir?" Sarah's voice caused Roy to open his eyes again. He still felt very sick and barely managed to nod at all.

"I'll go give you a sip then," Sarah said. He then tasted some water. "You must heal more before you can leave. If I feel that you'll be found soon, I'll make sure your clothes will be ready."

"Scar, is he?" Roy asked, weakly.

"Oh no! Don't worry about that!" Sarah said, flapping her arms. "He made me come here! I mean, I don't know where he is now! I mean, he thinks I'm a prophetess! I mean-"

"Your name is Sarah, right?" Roy asked.

"I'm Sarah," Sarah replied. "I was called Salama by my fellow villagers, but I'm now only Sarah."

"Do you know anything about Scar?" Roy asked.

"I don't know anything about him!" Sarah said. "He thinks I'm an Ishbalan prophetess, and so I'm spared from his wrath!"

"You think so?" Roy said.

"I can feel the hatred and bloodthirst in his heart" Sarah said. "He has been refined, but perhaps too much."

"Sarah…did you…did you…" Roy started to say when he felt sick again.

"I'm Sarah Somers," she said. "The people of my village needed a prophetess, so they appoint me as much. I am merely a 12-year old girl." She then looked down at him. "May I ask you a question?" Roy didn't say anything.

"Why are you still on the path that you chose when you became a State Alchemist?" Sarah asked.

"You mean why am I still a State Alchemist?" Roy asked.

"If you don't mind, I mean, you don't have to say anything!" Sarah said.

"There's something important I have yet to do," Roy said. Sarah then took off the warm washcloth.

"I'll get a colder cloth," Sarah said. "There's something that I want you to drink too." Roy didn't object, so she did as she said. When she came back, she had his clothes with her.

"I know that everyone must be searching for you" Sarah said, placing his clothes at his side. "Most of your clothes I can put on you, but I do need help on getting your pants on."

"I can do that," Roy said. He then helped her put on his pants. He then went against the wall. This alarmed Sarah.

"You are still sick!" Sarah said. She then put the blanket back on him. "If you feel dizzy, I can give you a pillow."

"I'm fine," Roy said. "I mean, in my condition."

"You've been working too hard," Sarah said. "I can see it in your eyes." She then placed her hand onto his forehead. It soon became covered with sweat.

"I should get you the tea," Sarah said. She then stood up. "I know that this country will change very soon, but you have to remember that you're still human. You're like a man, who in his attempt to reach the stars, forgot about the cliff below and fell all the way to the ground. I should assure that I do believe that Salama's prophecies will pass without fail. Amestris will be refined. But if you want to have a chance of seeing it, do take better care of yourself, sir." She then left.

"Do take better care of yourself, sir," Sarah's voice resonated in his kind. He then frowned. He always took good care of himself, though he wondered if he has reached his limit. The death of Bridigier General Hughes, having to get Second Lieutenant Maria Ross out of the country after she was framed for his murder, the incident with Lust, the discharge of Second Lieutenant Havoc due to injuries sustained by the incident, almost dying himself- yes, he had a lot to carry recently, but he didn't think he was getting too stressed. Maybe his body thought otherwise.

Roy rolled over to his side and placed a hand under the pillow. He wanted to fall asleep, but he had to wait for the tea. He grabbed his stomach as he felt more nauseated. He then heard footsteps running to him.

"Sir, are you getting worse?" Sarah asked. He then felt a warm cup of tea under his mouth.

"Drink this, sir" Sarah said. He opened his mouth, and Sarah poured it down his throat. "I have to remove the blanket, but I'll put your cape over you." She then did so.

"Thank you" Roy said. Sarah then stood up and was about to leave when she stopped.

"I don't know why you want to go to the stars, but even if you don't succeed, you may still be able to do something important in this world," Sarah said. "Just take care of yourself, sir." She then left.

"Take care of yourself, sir," Sarah's voice still rang in his ears as he closed his eyes.

Roy heard voices, but the fire prevented him from opening his eyes. He couldn't see the fire, but he could feel the heat overcome his body and mind. He then felt hands- at least he thought they were hands- taking him up on something. The heat, though, was the worst thing he ever felt from his body. He never felt anything like it, even in Ishbal. If this wasn't hell, then he didn't know what it would be. Pain, almost unimaginable pain, swept his body. He then passed out completely.

"He's awakening!" a familiar voice caused Roy to open his eyes. He then grabbed his stomach.

"Do you still feel sick, sir?" Fury asked. Roy lifted up his head. He saw all of his uniformed subordinates looking back at him.

"Where am I?" Roy asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You're in the hospital, sir," Hawkeye answered. Roy looked at his hospital gown. He tried to sit up.

"Be careful, Colonel!" Hawkeye said. She then put her hands on his shoulders. "We found you practically drenched in sweat and you had a fever of 41 °C!" (41 °C is around 105 °F for my American readers).

"41 °C?" Roy said. He then looked at all of his friends. "How did I end up here?"

"A girl told one of the search teams- we've dispatched quite a few- that she saw a young man in a military uniform walking unusually to an abandoned warehouse. She said that he looked sick and that she was looking after him while trying to find someone from the military. She then showed everyone where you were. You were drenched completely, sir! And you writhed as in pain! We were all worried for you!" Fury replied with tears in his eyes. He was then pushed aside from Armstrong.

"I'm so sorry that I failed you!" Armstrong said with tears streaming down his face. "The renowned Armstrong tracking technique that has been handed down from generation to generation in my family had failed me this time! Let me show you my sincerest apologies by giving you my greatest hug ever-"

"You're forgiven," Roy said, putting his finger at his head. Ever since their very first encounter- and after Roy's ribs healed- they made a pact. It was like this: Armstrong doesn't hug him and Roy wouldn't fry him.

"I'm sorry," Armstrong said, straightening himself up. "I've forgotten our agreement. In any case, I do recommend that you do get some rest. We all have been under pressure recently, but you're still a human being. Perhaps your illness was a sign that your body needed some rest. Remember that Scar is out there. What would you do if he found you in your weakened state?"

"I know" Roy said. He then remembered Sarah talking to Scar. "Will everyone but Hawkeye leave now? I'm sure that all of you have work to do."

"Just don't take too long with her," Armstrong said. "The Lieutenant isn't off-duty herself."

"It wouldn't be too long," Roy said. "Just go." At that, everyone except Hawkeye left. He then looked at his hands.

"What do you want to talk about?" Hawkeye asked.

"Do you think that I'm an idiot?" Roy asked.

"Walking around with a fever while Scar is around isn't a good idea-" Hawkeye started to say.

"I didn't mean that" Roy said. He then looked at his hands again. "I chose a path that I knew would cause pain and suffering for many innocent people, but I felt as long as I reached my goal, it would all be justified. But it may be too late for me."

"Are you suggesting that you'll give up?" Hawkeye said. "That's not like you, sir."

"I'm not giving up," Roy said. "But at the start, do you think I was an idiot for taking this course?"

"If you're an idiot, so am I" Hawkeye said. She then tucked in his blanket. "We both knew what this path could lead us to do, but we just have to have enough faith to carry this through now. However, I do know that you probably want to get back to work as soon as possible, but health policy doesn't allow anyone with a major illness to return unless he's been cleared by the doctor first, so you cannot weasel your way out of this one." She then started to head out the door when Roy called to her.

"If I do fall, will you still be at my side?" Roy asked. She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.

"You don't need to ask, Colonel," Hawkeye replied. She then went out of the room. Roy closed his eyes for a second.

Neither Roy or Riza knew what the future laid, but Roy drew great comfort from her words. His eyes remained closed for a few minutes until an uneasy question popped into his mind. It so startled him that he opened his eyes, his head already drenched in sweat. The question was this:

What if she fell before he did?

End of Side-Story

I know that I got lots of reviews and private messages to reply to, so I'm going to get to them right away. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Please don't forget to review!

Review replies:

Monk of the Neko: Scar will return, so you can see what else Kyo's pact with him will entail. I love doing Armstrong- I can make him so overdramatic, and people wouldn't care. I'm planning something special with Ed, but you have to wait and see what it is. I bet you do have some idea about what will happen, and you're probably right!

MeiFire: Thank you for also being a Scar supporter! You'll see more of him in the future so please keep reading!

Wildfire Dreams: O.O You mean to tell me that you've been reading my fic and you don't even know Fruits Basket? I don't know if I should be ashamed of you or myself.

All I can say is that this shojo (girls) manga is one of the most popular mangas in recent history- it has sold over two million in North America alone- and you'll likely find thousands of Furuba webpages and not just in English or Japanese- I've found Furuba fans from Europe, Asia, even South America and Africa. It's different from most shojo works in that it doesn't focus on romance but on the characters, some with abilities that have caused them to be isolated from the rest of "normal" people. Things like acceptance, rejection, fitting in, isolation, love, angst, growing up, and coming in terms with one's past are part of the story. I don't want to reveal the entire story- some of my other readers can jump in now- but if you've heard of the Chinese Zodiac, then you'll understand the premise of the story. Despite some dark parts, it nonetheless remains very positive, which helps in its popularity (having cute characters and animals doesn't hurt either!) I borrowed the anime from my local library system and buy the manga from a local bookstore. I first read Fruits Basket online, so you can search there too. I think my other readers can help you there too.

As well, thank you for the comment on Roy's description of Ed as an "ultimate weapon." I wasn't sure whether Roy would actually call him that, but I couldn't help myself. Please keep reviewing!

Dragoness Triplets: Thank you for being a Scar fan! I hope that you like this chapter. I know that my style of writing may be hard to read for you, but I hope that you do keep on reading. I really like your comments!

SeaLover 456: I don't know whether you don't like my style or something else, but I am committed to my style, so unless you can show me a way to improve it, I'll likely not change it. As for mistakes, I'm redoing my chapters, starting from Chapter 15 downward, so feel free to read them again. I really do like your comments, so please keep reviewing!

Suiren-san: Thank you for your efforts on finding a map of Amestris online. I personally couldn't find one myself. However, I did found one in the "Fullmetal Alchemist: Manga Profiles Vol. 1" book, which contains a map of the Central and Eastern regions of Amestris. It's not a complete map, but I can figure out where the rest of the places are. (Interesting Tidbit: When Ed and Armstrong went back to Central from East City in Vol. 2, they went up northwest, so Marcoh's village was north of East City. Hence, Kyo had to go south in order to go to East City but he went wide and landed in Rush Valley instead, which is in the South). As for Kyo and Ed being friends, well, you have to read to find out but do you really think they can be friends?

Ex-Rose: I already said that Ed and Al will be coming in the next chapter, so be more patient. I'm working on it, I swear!

Eclipsedlight: (In case, you haven't read her last review, this girl spent an entire year trying to find my story again!) I have to admire your dedication and loyalty on trying so hard to relocate my fic. However, if I were you, I would get my own account. That way, if your computer crashed again, you would be able to find my story much quicker. There are three ways you can do this: First, when you do get an account, you can put me on Author Alert or my story on Story Alert. You'll then get updates via e-mail. You'll need an e-mail account for that, but you can get one free online. Second, you can put me under "Favorite Authors" or my story under "Favorite Stories" and check from time to time on any updates. Third, you can just review and check "History" from the "Reviews" section of your account. Any updated fics will be highlighted. By the way, if you want to search my fic again, the title is "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover." Remember that if nothing else.

Retasuika: Right now, I got most of the Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist mangas. I don't have Fruits Basket Vols. 1 & 2 and Fullmetal Alchemist Vols. 3 & 10. At least I can read them online, but you can't support the original companies that produced them that way.

SakuraSagura: I was referring to Ed's temper, not his height- a person with a short fuse is short-tempered. As for Kyo transforming, I do plan on at least one more, but you have to wait and see when that'll be. As for descriptions, unless it's important or done for the "feel" of the story, I generally leave that to the imagination of the reader. Since this is based on the manga, I imagine that you already know what most of the places look like anyway. Thank you for liking my extras! I hope that you like the extras in this chapter as well!

KISSMEIMIRISH: I don't think that Kyo can speak English at all! Hiromu Arakawa never did say what was the national language of Amestris was, but since Kyo is a senior high school student in Japan, he'll likely be only learning the basics at least. The sources of the names of Amestrian characters are English, German, French, Japanese and a few other languages, so I don't really know what language they're speaking. If you want to know how come Kyo can understand everyone, well, you should know that there's no language barrier in the anime/manga-verse!

Rayame325: Thank you, Old Faithful, for your reviews as always. You have to wait and see about Kyo and Ed, but it shouldn't be too long a wait now.

Guest: I love Black Hayate too. It seemed that Hawkeye has trained him well. I wonder if Roy is going to survive after she found out what he did to her dog!

I like to also thank the following people: Kaioma, moon the fox alchemist, OrangeKittyAlchemist, HughesHanajimaHilariaHypocrite and Faws. Please do review again!

Private Message Replies:

Liah Cauthoh: It's true that Nicolas Flamel did invent the symbol used in FMA, but the snake-and-rod symbol goes back thousands of years, back to ancient Greece. Hermes (Mercury) was often depicted with it, and he's the god of medicine and alchemy. Hence, the caduceus, and variations of it, has been used in both medicine and alchemy since then. However, today, it's mainly used in the medical establishment. Arakawa or Square Enix may thought it'd be wiser to avoid using the well-known caduceus symbol and picked something similar that wouldn't be confusing. By the way, the FMA symbol is actually a symbol for volatilization, or evaporation, which makes sense as Ed is known for releasing hot air.

Kari Minamoto: When I started this fic, the Fullmetal Alchemist manga wasn't even released in English. I therefore thought it would be prudent to warn of any potential spoilers. However, since Vol. 11 has already been released, I don't think any major spoiler warning would now apply, unless you count the extras. Speaking of major spoilers, I do encourage people to buy Fruits Basket Vol. 17 when it does come out. If you don't know Akito's Big Secret, then you're going to be in for a major shock.

Now here are the extras:

The following two were inspired by the animes. I am sure that you can find the connection if you have already seen them.

#1: (actually a parody from a scene in the next chapter, possible spoiler alert warning)

(Kyo and Ed fighting each other)

Ed: I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S A SQUIRT! (claps his hands and then put them on the ground. A series of spikes came out of the ground, forcing Kyo to go backward)

Kyo: (thinking) Dammit! This guy's powerful for his size! I got to put a stop to this somehow!

Kyo: YEAH? AT LEAST I GOT A REAL MAN TO PLAY ME IN THE ORIGINAL ANIME!

(Ed stood there in shock)

Ed: THAT'S NOT FAIR! (now on the ground, crying)

Al: There, there, Brother…(patting him on the head)

Kyo: (thinking) I should try that on Yuki when I return home.

In case you didn't know, Ed was voiced by a woman, Romi Paku, in Japan. In the English version, he's voiced by Vic Mignona. Yuki was also voiced by a woman in Japan and a man in English.

#2:

(Homunculus Father with Envy, Wrath and Gluttony. In case you don't know what Pride and Sloth look like, just picture them in silhouettes).

Homunculus Father: I have finally found a replacement for Lust.

Envy: Really? It's not the Flame Colonel, I hope. I still haven't got the image from the last extra out of my mind yet!

Homunculus Father: Don't worry, Envy. It's not the Flame Colonel.

Homunculus Father: Well, who is it then?

Homunculus Father: The replacement of Lust will be…her! (points at background)

(Tohru Honda appears)

Envy: No offense, Father, but what have you been smoking?

Tohru: Do you want me to cook or clean anything now?

Gluttony: Can I eat her?

In case you didn't know, both Tohru and Lust were voiced by the same woman, Laura Bailey, in the English versions. She's quite a versatile actress!

#3: (This extra is dedicated to Belletiger. You got your Haru fix now!)

Haru: Dammit! Where am I now? (The wind suddenly blows sand into his eyes)

Haru: This is the worst place I've ever been! Where's this Central City anyway? (rubs his eyes; a river then appears)

Haru: A river! There must be people nearby! (runs and dives into the river)

Haru: (thinking) The man didn't mention a desert or a river, but I got to find Kyo! This is his fault anyway!

Haru: (sees a man by the river, still thinking) I'll ask him where to go!

Haru: (gets out of the river) Excuse me, but do you know where Central City is?

Xingese Man: Qing bai?

And so Fruits Basket's "Eternal Lost Boy" gets even more lost…

(By the way, "Qing bai" means "Hello" in Chinese).

#4 (The last extra is from a real joke about a colonel and a lieutenant- I'm not sure if anyone else have heard it, but I do hope that people do get the punchline. I can actually see this happening, by the way).

Second Lieutenant Havoc was driving his car in the open countryside, when he saw Colonel Mustang having problems with his own car. Seeing his superior officer in such distress, Havoc couldn't help but smile. He then stopped and got out of his car, trying not to look so mirthful.

"So," Havoc said. "May I ask what's wrong with your car?" At that, Roy smiled.

"Nothing anymore," Roy said. He then handed Havoc his car keys. "It's your car now."

Next Chapter: Kyo Vs. Fullmetal Part 1 (I bet all of you have been waiting for this one! I hope I don't disappoint!)


	17. Kyo Vs Fullmetal Part One

Chapter Sixteen of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Chapter Sixteen of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Yes, Chapter 16 is finally here. I've told you that Chapter 16 will be the one that will feature Ed and Al, and I've delivered on my promise. If you got any comments, feel free to say what you want. I can't guarantee that I'll reply, but at least I'll thank you.

I got a map of Amestris! Well, not a full map, but it'd do. I found it in the Fullmetal Alchemist Manga Profiles Vol. 1 book. It's basically an all-know book up to Volume 7, Chapter 27. I really would recommend getting this book, if only to read in English the side-story manga "The Blind Alchemist," which can't be found in any of the other manga volumes.

I know that all of you are waiting to read the rest of the chapter, so here it is!

Drip…drip…drip…

Drip…drip…drip…

Drip…drip…drip…

Roy opened his eyes. He felt like he was floating in mid-air, but he became aware of the hospital bed. He then looked across the room, and saw that Armstrong was standing there, looking as composed as ever.

"I see that you've awaken, sir" Armstrong said. "I like to ensure that you that First Lieutenant Hawkeye have been found and sent to the infirmary with a sprained ankle. Your injuries, however, are far more serious."

"They got me on morphine?" Roy said, looking at the opaque bag.

"Just for the pain," Armstrong said. "I'm here to make sure that they'll not give you more than necessary. We don't want another serious problem to the ones that you already have."

"Yeah" Roy said. The pain wasn't as searing as before- in fact, he liked the buzz that he was getting. The door then went wide open. The petit Master Sergeant came in.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, I know that you've done many evil things before, but this is the lowest so far!" Fury yelled, with tears coming down his face.

"I see that you're finally living up to your name" Roy said, closing his eyes.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Fury asked.

"He's on morphine," Armstrong said. "I advise that you not take anything he says seriously right now."

"Morphine? Is that really necessary?" Fury asked.

"He was screaming when the nurses tried to take off his uniform," Armstrong told him. "It's best to just inform him of any news."

"Well, you can tell him that Lieutenant Hawkeye has been informed of Black Hayate's injury. Tell him that she said that if she weren't injured herself, then she would be here by now. Tell him that she can't take care of him right now so she's leaving him with me. Tell him that if that dog dies, I would never be able to look at his face again!" Fury yelled. He then went out the door.

"Does this mean that Hawkeye wouldn't be coming at all?" Roy asked.

"Shameful," Armstrong said. "You almost killed her dog and all you can think is your own self."

"She has put that dog at the end of her gun too," Roy said. He then opened one eye. "They do check for concealed weapons here, right?"

"I don't think you should worry about that, sir," Armstrong said. Falman and Breda then appeared. "Warrant Officer Falman, First Lieutenant Breda. Did you find the Elric brothers?"

"Yes, Major," Falman said. "He's helping everyone in town for some strange reason. I gave him the information and told him that you want him to call Central HQ when he's done."

"Did you tell him about what happened to me?" Roy asked. He was still light-headed, but he concentrated on Falman.

"No, sir" Falman answered. "I didn't tell him anything. You only told me to give him those orders. He likely assumed that he's looking for a common criminal. He didn't seem too happy about it."

"He's not easy to please," Armstrong noted.

"No one here told Hawkeye anything?" Roy asked.

"If we did, she would've killed us!" Breda said. "She would've killed you sir!"

"Is that all?" Roy asked.

"Just that Scar hasn't been seen since his last attack," Falman replied. "But with Fullmetal running around, he's sure to come out sooner or later."

"Thank you" Roy said, closing his eyes. "You're dismissed." Breda then looked at Armstrong.

"How long is he going to be here?" the lieutenant asked.

"Knowing the Colonel, sooner than he should," Armstrong replied. "Keep an eye on the Elrics but do it in secret."

"As you wish," Breda said. He then turned to Falman. "Come on, Warrant Officer Falman. We got more work to do." They then left.

"Edward seems to be behaving most unusual," Armstrong said.

"He's up to something," Roy said. "I have to see what he's planning."

"Did you forget about Scar?" Armstrong said. "Your injuries are quite severe. If Scar did find you, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Roy said. "I can't move my right hand at all." He tried to move his bandaged hand, but couldn't form a fist. "I can use my left hand but it's hurt as well. Without both of my hands, I'm just a sitting duck. I'll just have to wait until Hawkeye comes back to duty."

In another part of the city, a certain petit State Alchemist wasn't having any fun.

"Orange hair…brown eyes…16-18 years old…170 cm tall…arrrgh!! If he wants him so bad, why don't he get him himself?" Ed fumed as he and Al walked down a street that was near a bunch of stores and markets. The sight of a walking suit of armour and a pint-sized teenage boy was such a familiar sight that the locals didn't even look their way. A few did take a look but only for a second.

"You know that the Colonel is still injured from his last battle," Al said. "And Scar is still large."

"What's with him?" Ed said. "I've been at it for the last few days and he still hasn't shown up. Either I've been in the wrong places or he's smarter than I thought." Without him knowing it, Al had walked away, attracted by something up the street. "Of course, if he had orange hair, he shouldn't be too hard to miss. Yeah, I can wrap this up in a jiffy. Al, we should head for Main Street right now- AL?! AL!!" Ed then ran down the street.

'That guy' Ed thought. 'I swear, sometimes he acts like a little kid! I hope he didn't get kidnapped again!' Ed looked every way as he went down the street. 'He shouldn't be that hard to spot. Where would a hunk of metal like him go to?' He then saw Al standing in a crowd. "There he is!"

"Excuse me! I got to go through! Ow! That hurts! I'm trying to get through! I got an automail arm and leg!" That last statement by Ed got people moving, as no one wanted to be stepped or pushed by anyone with an automail arm and leg. He managed to get to Al.

"Al! What are you doing here?" the petit State Alchemist asked.

"That guy is selling cats," Al said.

"Al, I told you before that we couldn't have cats!" Ed said. "Now if you come with me, we can resume searching for that Cat Guy."

"But Brother!" Al said. "This man is selling cats!" That set Ed off in a mini-temper tantrum.

"I don't care what he's selling! We need to find that guy!" Ed said. He then looked up to see the orange-head on a stool. Kyo was shouting and waving his hands at the crowd.

"Shoo! I had enough money for a week now so scram already!" Kyo yelled. "I mean the cats, not you!" At that, the cats and the crowd begin to disperse. It was then that Ed saw Kyo clearly for the first time.

'Orange hair…brown eyes…16-18 years old…170-180 cm tall…this is that guy we've been searching for!' Ed thought. He then turned to Al. "You know, we can ask him and see if he can help us."

"That's a great idea, Brother!" Al said. "Maybe he can help us find who we're looking for!"

"Yeah" Ed said with a grin. "But let me ask the questions, alright?"

"Okay," Al said. Ed then went to Kyo, who was still trying to shoo all of the cats.

"Hey you!" Ed said. Kyo then looked at him, and then looked up at Al. His eyes then widened.

"I KNOW YOU!!" Kyo shouted, pointing at a shocked Alphonse. "I'M NOT GOING BACK! YOU CAN KILL ME, BUT I'M NOT GOING BACK!" In response, all of the cats arched their backs and started hissing at Al.

"HEY!" Al said. "I'm not taking you anywhere! I swear!"

"You aren't from that place with the living toys?" Kyo asked.

"No, I mean, what do you mean by that?" Al asked. Kyo then knocked on Al's armour and put his ear on it. Al started to get very nervous. Kyo then looked up at Al again.

"Are you sure that you're not from that place?" Kyo asked.

"I'm a 14-year old boy!" Al protested.

"You mean you were a 14-year old boy!" Kyo said.

"What do you mean by that?" Al asked. Ed then decided to speak up.

"What are you doing to my younger brother?" Ed asked. Kyo then looked down at him.

"You mean you're his older brother?" Kyo asked, pointing at Ed.

"What do you mean by that?" Ed's temper flared up like a volcano. "You think that I'm so short that I can't kick you in the shins? You think that I'm so short that I have to go on my tippy-toes to punch you in the face!"

"I didn't say that!" Kyo said. "I don't know where you come from, but I'm not going to allow a little brat to-"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!!" Ed roared.

"I'm not calling you-" Kyo started to say when he stopped. He then looked at Al and then Ed. "If you're his older brother, how old are you anyway?"

"Brother's going to be 16 in December," Al said before Ed could open his mouth. Ed then looked very pissed.

'He's only 15?' Kyo thought. 'He's shorter than Momiji!'

"Al, he didn't have to know that!" Ed said.

"Sorry," Al said, trying to sound sincere.

"Are people short where you come from?" Kyo asked. Ed turned at him and pointed his finger at the orange-head.

"Don't call me short, you carrot-top!" Ed yelled. "At least I don't dye my hair!"

"My hair is natural!" Kyo said. "Oh forget it! I'm leaving!" He then looked closer at Ed. "Your mother did feed you well, right?" Ed just growled. They stared at each other as if they were shooting daggers at each other's eyes. Al felt bound to do something.

"Brother, don't you remember why we wanted to speak to him in the first place?" Al said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You're right," Ed said, calming down. He then looked at Kyo again. "So you're the guy that sells cats, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, I just sell stuff," Kyo said. He then stopped. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I asked you," Ed said. "You sell more than cats, is that right?"

"Well, I was selling fish, but I had to sell cats too, so I can get rid of them," Kyo said. "If you want fish, I'm sure that there's a fish market nearby."

"You're not selling anything else right now?" Ed asked.

"No," Kyo replied. Ed and Kyo then looked at each other in a semi-tense silence. Crickets could be heard in the background.

"So you're sure that you're not selling anything else?" Ed asked.

"NO!!" Kyo said, becoming very angry. "If you're here just to bug me, then leave me alone!" Kyo then stormed off.

"He's almost as bad as you are," Al said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ed asked.

"Um nothing," Al said.

"Anyway, it looks like I have to go with Plan B," Ed said.

"I hate to ask, but what is Plan B?" Al asked.

"It's simple," Ed said, smiling. "We just follow him until he gives us what we want."

"Brother, you're an evil, evil man," Al said.

Kyo knew that they were following him. He felt their eyes watching him as he went to the market, then to a store (he wanted to see if he sold any alchemy or French language books but no such luck. He was told to go to the library which Kyo didn't think he could go to, so he didn't) and then to eat. Kyo could see them from the corner of his eyes as he drank his drink. He was at a Xingese restaurant- the only one that he could find that served food that resembled those that he knew he could eat. Of course, they kept on spying on him. Kyo would've sic the cats on them, but knew that they couldn't bother the armoured guy. He took one look at the wall that they're hiding behind and gave out a big sigh.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyo said in a very loud voice. A few people, including the waiter, then looked at him but he didn't care.

"He knows we're here, Brother," he heard the armoured guy say.

"I guess we got caught," his "big" brother said. They then appeared from the other side of the wall.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyo said again.

"Listen, I know that you have the right to decide, but at least hear us," Al said. Kyo said nothing, so he continued. "First of all, we should introduce ourselves. My name is Alphonse Elric, but you can call me Al if you want. This is my older brother, Edward, but you can call him Ed. He's also known as-"

"He doesn't have to know everything right now, Al," Ed said. He then turned to Kyo. "Anyway, you're the guy that sells stuff, right?"

"Yes?" Kyo said, becoming very wary. "What about it?"

"I know you sold fish because everybody's talking about it" Ed said.

"Oh?" Kyo said.

"Well, I'm not after the fish, but the wrapping paper," Ed said. "People are talking about it all over the country." He then smiled. "So will you tell us where you got it?"

"Why should you be interested?" Kyo asked. "I can't even read it!"

"You can't read it?" Ed sounded surprised. "Maybe I can help you."

"Really? You know how to read other languages?" Kyo asked, now sounding very curious.

"Brother, I didn't know that you could-" Al started to say when Ed opened his mouth again.

"Will you just show me the book?" Ed asked.

"If you can tell me the gist of it, it'll be so helpful," Kyo said. He then took out the book and gave it to Ed. "You don't know how many crazy alchemists and other people have been after that book! I even got almost blown up once! Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

"Al, this is it," Ed said in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

"The book that will help us find the Philosopher's Stone," Ed said. He then started grinning like a maniac.

"But how do you know it would help us find the Philosopher's Stone?" Al asked. "You know what it would require."

"No, Al, I mean that this book will be the answer to finding another way to do it," Ed said.

"But how do you know? I can't even read the language!" Al said. "Brother?" He then looked at his older brother. "Brother, is something wrong? Your eyes are looking…weird."

"Say, Kee-oh," Ed said, putting his hand up. "I'll like to buy this book from you!"

"I didn't say it was for sale!" Kyo said. "It's not mine anyway!"

"Then where did you got it from?" Ed asked.

"A cousin of mine," Kyo said.

"Where does he live?" Ed asked.

"He doesn't live in this country," Kyo said. "And I'm not telling where he is either!"

"So you're not going to sell this book or tell me where the real owner of this book is?" Ed asked.

"No," Kyo said. "Now give me my book back!"

"I guess I have no choice then," Ed said. He then held up the book. "I'm declaring this book property of the state. Al, let's go!"

"What?!" Both Al and Kyo said together.

"Brother, can you do that?" Al asked. "He didn't give his permission!"

"I don't need his permission!" Ed retorted.

"What do you mean 'property of the state?'" Kyo said. "You don't work for the government, do you?"

"Brother is a State Alchemist," Al said before Ed could stop him. Kyo looked at Al, then at Ed. Ed had his arms tightly around the book. Kyo looked even closer at him.

'He's a kid and already a State Alchemist?' Kyo thought. 'If this guy became a State Alchemist when he's this young, he has to be a genius. I got to get my book back before he can do anything else!' At that, Kyo took out his automail rod and put it on the ground. He then clapped his hands against it. To Ed and Al's surprise, a series of spikes came out of the ground and started heading for them!

"Al! Take this!" Ed yelled. He then threw the book at him. "Don't let him get it!"

"What are you going to do?" Al asked, catching it.

"This!" Ed said. He then clapped his hands and put them on the ground. A yellow light then appeared, producing a bunch of spikes. Kyo stood there in shock.

'He only clapped his hands to do a transmutation! But that's im-' Kyo had to stop thinking in order to dodge the spikes.

"Al! Run to HQ!" Ed shouted. "Tell the Colonel that we got the book, but don't show it to him until I get there. Do you understand?"

"Ah yes!" Al said. He then looked around. "Um, I don't know where to go from here!" Ed was too focused on Kyo to give him a reply.

"Why are you so possessed about the book?" Kyo asked. "What would a squirt like yourself be so interested in a book you can't read?"

"Shut up!" Ed said. "I don't have to tell you anything! And don't call me a squirt!"

'He seemed to have a problem with his height,' Kyo thought. 'I can take advantage of this.' He then hunched down.

"What is he doing?" Ed asked.

"I think he's trying to go down to your level," Al said.

"I'M NOT THAT SMALL!" Ed shouted. "That's it! I'm going to pound him no matter what!" At that, he ran at Kyo.

"Brother, wait!" Al said. Ed then jumped up and tried to punch Kyo in the face with his right hand.

"I can do this!" Kyo said. He put his hands on the ground and twirled his legs. Ed had to go back to avoid being hit by his feet.

"I can hit him now!' Kyo thought. He then went back on his feet and tried to punch him- and missed.

"Was that it?" Ed asked. "Let me throw that back!" At that, he punched Kyo in the head. Blood came down his face.

'I got hit but I still can't feel any pain,' Kyo thought. 'I got to find why- woah!' He had to dodge Ed's second blow.

"That's it!" Kyo said. He then threw a second punch, but it missed too. 'Dammit! I keep missing him! I'm not used to fighting someone his size!'

"What's the matter?" Ed asked, grinning. "Don't tell me that you got too weak all of a sudden? Or are you running out of ideas in that stupid head of yours-"

"DON'T CALL ME STUPID!" Kyo yelled, slamming his rod against the ground again. A series of spikes then came out, which caused Ed to jump sideways.

'Now's my chance,' Kyo thought. He then used the rod to leap over the spikes and hit Al's head, lopping it off.

"AL!" Ed shouted.

'I can now get the book,' Kyo thought. As Al was trying to find his head, Kyo now dashed to grab the book. Ed turned his head to see Kyo running at the book.

"I need that book!" Ed yelled. He then put his hands together and grabbed a piece of pipe. It turned into a cannon. "You let go of Al and I'll spare you!"

'But I'm not doing anything to him,' Kyo thought. He then had to dodge a cannonball. "Hey, this is a public place!"

'I have to get the book back before he can!' Ed thought.

"Al, get the book and throw it at me!" Ed shouted. "Just throw it in the direction of my voice!" Al was still headless.

"Um okay!" Al said. He then heard Kyo's footsteps and knew that he had to hurry. "I'll get it before he can do it!" Al then reached for the book.

"Back off! That's MY book!" Kyo said. He was about to grab it when he felt something on his back. "Hey!" It made him fall down on the ground. He then looked up to see that a big stone hand had pushed him down onto the ground.

"I got it!" Al said, picking up the book.

"Al, throw it to me now!" Ed shouted, his hands still together.

"I think I can do it!" Al said as Kyo sprang at him. He then threw the book at Ed's direction. Kyo wasn't fast enough to prevent Ed from catching it.

"Got it!" Ed said. "So long, loser!" He then ran off.

"I hope that Brother's plan will work" Al said, putting his head back on. He then saw Ed running with Kyo after him. "Or maybe not."

Though Ed had a head start, Kyo's longer legs soon caught up with him. Ed looked back in alarm.

'He's going to catch me!' Ed thought. 'I got to get a way out of here and fast!' He then saw a ladder against a wall of a house. "That's it!" He then clapped his hands and put them down on the ground in front of the ladder. The bright light caused Kyo to stop and shield his eyes.

A second later, a taller ladder appeared. Ed wasted no time in climbing it. Kyo of course went after him.

It didn't take long before Ed realized one problem.

'He's climbing up faster than I am!' Ed thought. 'This book is slowing me down, but I can't throw it down because he's closer to the ground than I am!' He then felt Kyo grab onto his pants. "Hey!"

"Brother, the ladder's moving!" Al said. Ed looked up to see that the ladder was going off the wall!

'Dammit…' Ed thought as gravity finally took over and the ladder came down.

"BROTHER!" Al yelled. Kyo grabbed onto Ed's pants and then grabbed a chain. The next thing he knew he was falling. He then landed on the ground and heard a clanking sound next to him at the same time.

"Brother, are you okay?" Al asked, running to him.

"Thank goodness I landed on my right arm," Ed said. He then looked down. "I still have the book at least."

"Are you okay?" Al asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ed said. He then moved the rest of the body and stood up. "I was just shaken for a second." He then looked around. "Where did the orange-head guy go?"

"I don't know," Al said. Ed then put his hands in his pockets.

"At least we still have the book," Ed said. "We can just go-" His eyes then widened. He then checked his pants and shirt. Finally, he pulled out his pockets.

"What's wrong, Brother?" Al asked.

"My pocket watch's gone," Ed said, showing him his empty pockets.

"Maybe it fell out?" Al suggested.

"It has to be on the ground somewhere," Ed said, looking all over the ground. His eyes widened as he saw the chain but no watch. "No, he couldn't have-"

On a nearby rooftop, Kyo looked at the pocket watch.

'At least I still have the pocket watch,' Kyo thought. He started to put it in his pocket when he noticed that he had already something in it. He then pulled the item out and lo and behold, it was another pocket watch!

'I must've taken someone else's pocket watch!' Kyo thought. Just to be on the safe side, he decided to check the first pocket watch. He tried to open it but it was closed shut.

'Dammit!' Kyo thought. 'This must've been tampered with!' He then put it between his hands in an attempt to squeeze it open. A yellow light then appeared and the watch opened.

'That was simple enough,' Kyo thought. 'I wonder if the person left any contact information in this watch in case it got lost. I already have one, so I don't need this one.' He then looked at the inner side of the lid.

'It looks like a date,' Kyo thought. He tried to read it. "Don't forget…Oct 15…11." His eyes then widened. Though Kyo didn't know much about the written language, if that was a date, then the last number would be-

"Year 11?" Kyo said. "This is Year 11?!"

In another part of the city not that far away, a petit State Alchemist let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream.

End of Chapter 16

This is the first part of the two chapters, so I'll put all of the review replies in Chapter 17. I'm very happy that this fic has been the second most popular I've made so far (my Naruto fic is more popular, as far as hits go). Please tell me what you think of Ed and Al. Fruits Basket was created by Natsuki Takaya and distributed by Hakusensha Inc. and TOKYOPOP. Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Don't forget to review!

Nexr Chapter: Kyo Vs. Fullmetal Part 2


	18. Kyo Vs Fullmetal Part Two

Chapter 17 of "Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist Crossover" by Melinda-chan

Kyo looked at the silver watch like it was an alien with three heads.

"Year 11?" Kyo said. He then looked at it closer and then at all the buildings around him.

'Now that I think about it, I haven't seen a TV or a computer anywhere,' Kyo thought. 'Maybe I'm in the past.' He then decided to look for any sign of the present date.

'A newspaper!' Kyo thought. 'I know that they have them here!' He then went down from the building and sought to find a place where they either sell or read newspapers.

Kyo decided to search for general stores. An old lady guided him to one at the corner. He then went inside the store.

"Do you have a newspaper?" Kyo asked the man at the counter. He was smoking a pipe. When he looked to see Kyo, he became visibly frightened.

"Do you sell newspapers?" Kyo asked.

"Do you want one?" the man asked.

"Yeah" Kyo answered. "I need to read something."

"This isn't a library," the man grumbled. "If you just want to read it, you can go there."

"I just want to know the date," Kyo said. "I don't need to read everything."

"In that case, then I can tell you it right now" the man said. "It's November 15. Why do you need to know?"

"Well…" Kyo said. He then showed him the silver pocket watch.

"This must've been made four years ago," the man said. He then shut the lid and saw the State emblem on it. "Oh it's a State watch!" He then handed it back. "That's very interesting, but I assume that you aren't the owner?"

"No," Kyo said. "But do you know where I can sell this?" Kyo asked.

"I don't think you can do that," the man said. "Legally, that is."

"I thought so," Kyo said. "I'll just see what I can do. If you can't help me, I'll try somewhere else." He then left the store.

"I wonder how long it'll be until the MPS catches him," the man said. "1911…that's the year the Fullmetal kid became a State Alchemist. But why would anyone want to scratch their own pocket watch? I guess I should get back to work." He then did just that.

In another part of the city, a very concerned Al watched as his older brother fumed. They were sitting on a bench. Ed kept closing and opening his hand, as if he had something.

"Are you sure that he took it?" Al asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure" Ed said. He then closed his fist for the final time. "Let's go find him now."

An half-hour later, Ed was getting very, very angry while Al was getting very, very worried about his older brother. In other words, things were just normal for Ed and Al. However, Ed was getting more and more irritable.

"If I get my hands on that guy, I'll-" Ed then proceeded to mention various torture methods that would've made Kimbley blush.

"Brother, I know that the pocket watch is very important, but could you just get a new one?" Al asked.

"I don't know. I probably would be punished for losing the old one," Ed said. "In any case, I don't want to face the Colonel without my pocket watch. He told me to guard it with my life, so I don't even want to know what he'll say if he finds this out."

"But your pocket watch got stolen before," Al said.

"I know, and I don't want that to happen again," Ed said. "But I don't know how to stop him whether by alchemy or combat. I don't know even if the Major can get him or not."

"Yeah he can track him down, can he?" Al said.

"And beat him to a pulp!" Ed said with a cackle.

"I don't think he would do that, Brother!" Al said.

"Speaking of the orange-haired guy, there he is!" Ed said. Kyo almost went on their street but quickly ran to the opposite end. However, Ed spotted him in time.

"Al, round up as many MPS people as you can!" Ed yelled. "I'm going after him!"

"Um, oh, okay!" Al said. He then went off.

'I got to capture him!' Ed thought. 'Even if he resists, I will get my pocket watch! I got to!' He then ran faster. 'Dammit! I can't run as fast as he can! Damn my stupid short legs!' He then hit himself for calling himself short.

'I got the book, so I just have to get out of here' Kyo thought. All of a sudden, Kyo saw a big shadow come over him. 'What the-?' He then looked up to see a big stone fist coming down at him.

"Ah!" Kyo said as he dodged it. "Now I've seen everything!"

"You're not going to get away!" Ed shouted. "I need that book!"

"So do I!" Kyo said. "In any case, I'm not going to let you take the book away from me! I know what you did to your younger brother! I'm not allowing you to use this book for your country's twisted alchemy!" Ed was so stunned that he couldn't move.

'How did he knew that?' Ed thought. He then saw Kyo disappeared into the crowd and clenched his auto-mail fist. 'I can't let him get to me like that! Dammit!' He then saw a big suit of armour come to him. "Al?"

"Brother?" Al said. "Did he get away?"

"Yeah" Ed said. "We need to talk."

"Okay," Al said. Ed then took him to an outside diner.

"We need to make a new plan," Ed said. "All of the reports say that he's quick, agile, skilled in martial arts and can summon cats to do his bidding. We have first-hand proof of that now. We just have to find a way to capture him."

"I know that cats can't do anything to me, but I'm worried about you," Al said. "I'll do anything to help you, but I can't do that if I have to fend for myself too."

"We'll not give him a chance," Ed said. He then grinned. "Leave it to me!"

"Why did I have a feeling that you were going to say that?" Al said. But being a good little brother, Al agreed to go with his plan.

Kyo in the meantime was back at the Xingese restaurant, slurping on more noodles. Cats were at his feet.

"More food for you!" the Xingese man said, putting a bowl of noodles in front of him.

'Even if I can't taste this, at least it's food that I know I can eat' Kyo thought. He then picked up his chopsticks and was about to dig in when he heard heavy breathing behind him. The cats started to growl. Kyo turned his head.

"What do you want?" Kyo asked the petit State Alchemist, who was still breathing very hard.

"I want my pocket watch back!" Ed said. "I know that you took it from me so I want it back!"

"You want your pocket watch back?" Kyo asked. "Give me back my book then!" Ed then looked at the book in his hands. It was an almost impossible trade: which is most important to him? His pocket watch, which is necessary for a State Alchemist to have for identification purposes or a book that may help him and Al find the Philosopher's Stone?

"Fine" Ed said. He then went to Kyo. "I'll give you the book but only if you give me my pocket watch back."

"It's a deal!" Kyo said. He then pulled out the pocket watch from his pocket. "Now give me my book!"

"Alright," Ed said. "Why don't you come closer and get it?"

"Why me?" Kyo asked.

"Because your cats are scaring me," Ed said.

"Oh," Kyo said.

'Brother finally admits that he's scared of cats,' Al thought.

"Oh fine. At least you're man enough to admit it," Kyo said. He then got out of the chair and got closer to Ed. Ed then grinned.

'He fell for it!' Ed thought. He then raised his voice.

"Al! Do it!" Ed yelled. Kyo then saw a big shadow come over him. He looked up to see Al ready to attack. Kyo then looked at Ed, who was already ready to run at him.

"NOW!!" Ed shouted. Both of them then proceeded to jump at him, hoping to capture him and take him back to Central HQ and resume their search for Scar.

Kyo did what most people would've done if they thought about it. He simply moved out of the way. Ed was too late to change his direction.

"BROTHER!" Al yelled. Ed slammed right into him, knocking himself out cold. "BROTHER!" Al then grabbed him. "Brother, are you okay?"

Al was so focused on Ed that he didn't notice Kyo had quietly picked up the book and after taking one quick look at them, walked away. Al was still shaking Ed trying to revive him. Kyo then placed Ed's pocket watch on the ground before he disappeared. Al never even noticed as he was now screaming for help.

"Where's the Colonel?" Al asked, talking to the only available public telephone in the hospital.

"He's um, out for the moment," Fury said. "Do you want to take a message?"

"Well, uh…" Al said. He then told him about what happened that day.

"I'm not a commander, but I think that to do an ambush, you need to cover all four sides," Fury said.

"So what do you think I should do?" Al asked.

"Um, I'll have to speak to the Colonel before I can say anything else," Fury said. He then paused. "How long is he supposed to be in there for?"

"Well, this is Brother we're talking about," Al said. "He'll probably be out sooner than he should."

"He's so like the Colonel," Fury said, sighing.

"Speaking of him, how's he?" Al asked. "We met Breda and Falman but we haven't seen Colonel Mustang in a while now."

"Um, well, he's quite busy," Fury said after seeing Breda gave him a zip-it sign with his lips and finger (I hope you know what I mean). "Do you have anything else to say?"

"Oh no!" Al said. "I'm sorry for disturbing you!"

"I wasn't doing much anyway," Fury said. "In any case, I'll tell the Colonel as soon as I can."

"Okay!" Al said. "Thanks anyway!"

"See you later!" Fury said. He then hanged up. "Now that I think about it, the Major is also at the hospital. Maybe he'll see both of them after all."

Back at the hospital, Al had just hanged up the phone and walked back to Ed's room when he saw Major Armstrong was there, looking at him.

"Major Armstrong!" Al said. "How come you're here?"

"I was visiting a friend," Armstrong said, hoping that would be enough for him. He then looked at the door beside Al. "Is Edward in there?"

"He's not badly hurt!" Al said. "I mean he did get a head injury but this is Brother we're talking about-"

"A head injury is nothing to joke about," Armstrong said. "I shall see him if he needs my help."

"No it's alright! He-" Al started to say but the Major was already in Ed's room.

"You poor thing," Al heard Armstrong say. "You are badly hurt. Let me help you get better."

"Huh? Major Armstrong?! What are you doing here?" Al then heard Ed scream. "NO! WAIT! HELP! ALLLLLLLLL!!" A cracking of ribs and another loud scream was then heard.

"I'm so sorry, Brother," Al said as he sat down on the floor and put his metallic gloves at the sides of his helmet. "I can't help you now." Ed continued to scream.

In the meantime, Kyo was looking for a new place to go as the sun begins to set.

End of Chapter 17

I hope that everyone enjoyed the last two chapters. I was holding my breath when I started writing them, as I was afraid of how people thought about how I portrayed Ed and Al. I do wish that people will still review- it's the only way I really know how readers feel. Review replies are below. Fruits Basket was created by Natsuki Takaya and Fullmetal Alchemist was created by Hiromu Arakawa. Don't forget to review!

As usual, I got tons of reviews to reply, so I'll get to them right away.

SakuraSagura: I like to thank you for your reviews. You've been one of the earliest reviewers still reviewing and I hope that this'll continue. I shall now respond to your other comments.

As you likely know by now, I based my story on the manga. Since the manga has already covered such places as Marcoh's village, East City and Central, I don't think a major description is necessary. The story's takes place during the manga run so unless I have to, I'll leave the places as Arakawa depicted them. As for people, I usually try to give a general description (hair, eyes, etc.) Sometimes I'll only give a vague description either because I don't want to reveal the person yet or it's not important. A few of my reviewers usually get who I'm talking about, so if you're not unsure about someone, my reviews should be the first thing to check. As for the weather, it's fall so the weather should be good. I know that it'll eventually be winter but I can ensure that if something important comes up, I'll make a note of it. I'm trying my best to keep in line with the manga, so you should be able to keep track that way.

As for your question about Ed's pocket watch, I'm sure that he might get in- the people there should know his face by now- but it would be impossible to get access to areas only restricted to State Alchemists and it's the only clear way for him to identify himself as a State Alchemist to strangers (as he has done a few times already). Plus, it's the only way to get his grant for his research. The pocket watch is very important, which is why he went to great lengths to retrieve it as he did in Volume 5. I don't know whether it can be replaced but I think that Ed would rather die than admit to Mustang that he lost it. I'm very sure of that.

Suiren-san: Thanks for trying to find a map for me! I had a really hard time myself, until I bought the Fullmetal Alchemist Manga Profiles Vol. 1 book. As for Kyo and Ed being friends, well, you have to wait to found out, but I don't think Kyo liked it when Ed tried to take the book from him. Thank you for continually supporting this fic!

Rayame 325: I hope I didn't disappoint you with the fight. I hope to hear from you soon. I always look forward to your comments! I'm glad that you enjoyed the Armstrong/Breda scene with the cats. It's amazing that Breda didn't have a heart attack, isn't it?

Peachcandy: I'm shocked that another person had spent a year trying to find my story. Please always login when you review a story and your review history will tell you when the story has been updated. Or you can put the story on Story Alert and you'll be automatically be notified when I update a story. In other words, if you signed your review with your login name, you wouldn't have this problem to begin with.

Dallas W: That was Envy of course. You're probably the last person to notice. The other person was Gluttony- Lust and Greed had already been killed off, Sloth and Pride haven't revealed themselves yet and I don't think that Wrath would appear with the other homunculus in public. So I think that Envy and Gluttony would be the most logical choice.

MeiFire: I'm so glad that you enjoyed Ed and Kyo's battle. Tell me what you think of how it ended, please!

Ccat 293: I almost always do research for my stories but for the most part I relied on the manga itself plus alchemy websites like Levity. I actually found the subject of alchemy fascinating and I hope to write more stories about it. If you want some links, please let me know!

I also like to thank the following people that read and reviewed my story so far:

Ex-Rose, eclipsedlight, Retasuika, Kaioma, HughesHanajimaHilariaHypocrite, WildfireDreams, guest, Faws, Wandering soul, LostGryffindowFoundSlytherin, The-Living-Shadow and Annoying Little Twit. I also like to thank temariluv for her e-mail. I hope that you liked my last two chapters and sorry for the wait.

Next Chapter: Kyo Goes Out In The Town


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